REVISITING BO BRADY & HOPE WILLIAMS’ MOST ICONIC MOMENTS—HEARTWARMING, SHOCKING & ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS
TL;DR: With Days of Our Lives having celebrated its anniversary on November 8, let’s revisit Bo Brady and Hope Williams’ most ICONIC moments—the heartwarming, the shocking, the absolutely RIDICULOUS, and the frustrating AF. From motorcycle kidnappings to royal weddings to MULTIPLE deaths and resurrections, Bo and Hope gave us ALL the feels for over 40 years!
When A Kidnapping Becomes A Love Story (Only On Soaps!)
Let’s start with the most BONKERS way to begin a romance: kidnapping!
In 1983, Bo Brady (Peter Reckell) literally KIDNAPPED Hope Williams (Kristian Alfonso) on his motorcycle and took her to a cabin in the woods. She was engaged to boring, safe Larry Welch at the time, and Bo decided the best way to make her see she was with the WRONG guy was… felony abduction?
And you know what? IT WORKED.
Hope fell HEAD OVER HEELS for her kidnapper. They had this intense, passionate connection in that cabin that changed everything. The chemistry was OFF THE CHARTS.
Modern dating tip: Don’t try this at home, kids. What worked in 1983 Salem will get you ARRESTED in 2025.
But back then? This was PEAK romance, and fans were OBSESSED. Bo calling Hope “Fancy Face” became iconic. The motorcycle became a symbol of their relationship. And a kidnapping became one of daytime’s greatest love stories.
Only. On. Soaps.
Want to share YOUR favorite unhinged Bo and Hope moment? Email us at [email protected] with your wildest memories, hottest takes, and theories about whether they’ll show up for the November 8 anniversary!
The First Time They Made Love (With MOCK WEDDING VOWS)
After months of sexual tension that could light Salem on FIRE, Bo and Hope finally consummated their relationship on the Fourth of July in 1984.
They were staying at a country inn. The fireworks were going off outside. The longing looks were happening inside. And then Bo swept Hope into his arms, carried her upstairs, and they made love for the first time.
But here’s the EXTRA part: They exchanged MOCK WEDDING VOWS that night! Before they ever had a real ceremony, they promised themselves to each other in this intimate, private moment.
Fans? MELTED into puddles.
This set the standard for soap opera romance in the 1980s. The build-up. The payoff. The emotional depth. DAYS understood the assignment.
The Royal Wedding In England (Because Of COURSE)
After helping take down a serial killer known as “The Dragon” in England, Bo and Hope were rewarded by the British government with a LAVISH royal wedding in 1985.
And when we say lavish, we MEAN it:
This wasn’t just a wedding. This was an EVENT that remains one of the most spectacular weddings in daytime television HISTORY.
Bo and Hope pledged their love “through all eternity”—a promise they’d somehow keep despite EVERYTHING the writers threw at them.
They Just… SAILED AWAY For YEARS (Peak Soap Nonsense)
After their royal wedding, Bo and Hope Brady did what any newlyweds would do: sailed around the world on their boat “The Fancy Face” with baby Shawn… and then DISAPPEARED FROM THE SHOW FOR YEARS.
They just… left. Sailed away into the sunset. Weren’t seen again until they decided to come back.
This is PEAK soap opera magic, folks. Your favorite couple sails off into literally happily ever after, and you just have to TRUST they’re out there somewhere living their best lives while the show focuses on other characters.
When they eventually returned to Salem, fans welcomed them back with open arms because that’s the kind of goodwill Bo and Hope had built up.
Could you imagine ANY show doing this today? “Oh yeah, our main couple? They’re just… gone. On a boat. Somewhere. They’re fine. Probably.”
ICONIC.
The 2008 Vow Renewal That Made Us SOB
In 2008, after Bo faced a serious health crisis where daughter Chelsea saved his life by donating part of her pancreas, he planned a SURPRISE vow renewal ceremony for Hope.
Best friends Steve Johnson and Kayla Brady officiated. The ceremony featured flashbacks to all their previous weddings. Hope got a new wedding ring (since she’d thrown the other one in the ocean in a fit of anger—long story).
“Twenty-four years have gone but you know what? I love you more today than I did then,” Bo told Hope.
Fans were SOBBING. This was a couple that had survived EVERYTHING, and here they were, choosing each other all over again.
The feels were REAL.
Bo’s Death In Hope’s Arms (We’re Still Not Over It)
And then came 2015, and the moment that BROKE every DAYS fan’s heart into a million pieces.
Bo had been held prisoner by Stefano DiMera for YEARS. When he finally made it back to Salem, he was suffering from a brain tumor with just DAYS left to live.
Bo and Hope spent those final days together, reminiscing about their incredible journey. They looked through photo albums, recalled their adventures, and held each other close.
And then, in the park where they’d shared so many memories, Bo took his final breath in Hope’s arms.
“I love you, Fancy Face,” were among his last words.
It was devastating. Beautiful. Heartbreaking. And somehow perfect—because if Bo HAD to go, at least he went surrounded by love, with his soulmate by his side.
Fans mourned. Peter Reckell left the show. And it seemed like Bo and Hope’s story was truly over.
(Spoiler alert: It wasn’t. Because nothing is ever truly over on Days of Our Lives.)
Drop a comment below with your thoughts! Are you hoping Bo and Hope return for the November 8 anniversary? What’s YOUR favorite Bo and Hope moment?
The Resurrections (Because Death Is Just A Suggestion)
https://www.daytimesoapstop.com/blog/categories/days-of-our-livesBut THEN—because this is Days of Our Lives and death is more of a SUGGESTION than a rule—Bo came back.
First in the 2022 spinoff Beyond Salem, where it was revealed he wasn’t dead but being held in a CRYOGENIC CHAMBER by Megan Hathaway. (As one does.)
Then in 2023, when Hope discovered Bo was alive… only for their son Shawn to ACCIDENTALLY SHOOT BO within HOURS of their reunion, leaving him in a coma.
Bo lingered in that coma for nearly TWO YEARS while fans screamed at their screens.
THE FRUSTRATION WAS REAL. We waited THAT LONG for a reunion, and Shawn SHOOTS his dad?! Come ON, DAYS!
The Happily-Ever-After We FINALLY Got
And FINALLY, in May/June 2025, Days of Our Lives gave us what we’d been waiting for.
Bo woke up from his coma. He and Hope reunited in Greece, where they recalled their 1985 royal wedding. They made it back to Salem TOGETHER, with smiles on their faces.
They spent precious time with family, reconnected with friends, and reminded everyone why they’re one of the greatest love stories in soap opera history.
And then they sailed away AGAIN on “The Fancy Face”—this time, hopefully for good. (Though with soaps, you never know!)
Will they return? Fans are HOPING. Because if there’s one couple that deserves to be celebrated on DAYS, its Bo and Hope Brady.
Email [email protected] with your Bo and Hope theories! Do you think they’ll show up for the anniversary? What moment do you want to see revisited?
