Jamie Martin Mann explains the real reason for his Days of our Lives exit

Tate Black is about to have a new face on Days of our Lives, as Jamie Martin Mann exits the role on-screen this week.

After only six months on Days of our Lives, Jamie Martin Mann has bid farewell to Salem and the role of Tate Black. In fact, with the soap's long lead time between when episodes are filmed and when they air, the actor has been away from the set for about as long as he's been on-screen.

A SORASed Tate arrived back in Salem with his mother, Theresa Donovan, last fall and quickly fell for Holly Jonas. After trying to cover for Holly after she overdosed on opioids, Tate ended up being falsely accused of giving them to her, and he spent the first few months of 2024 incarcerated.

Now that Tate is free and he and Holly can begin a true star-crossed teen romance, Tate will have a new face when Leo Howard takes over the role on April 5, as Mann has opted to focus on finishing college at the University of Michigan.

"I filmed the last two weeks of the show in the first month of my junior year," Mann told Soap Opera Digest. However, he soon realized that traveling to and from L.A. would have been a distraction while trying to earn a musical theater degree.

"I know it seems very hoity-toity and aloof, and it's not a 'real' major, but there is a considerable amount of work and it requires a lot of time in class," Mann explained. "I mean, acting is all experience. Reading about acting only gets you so far, and having the practical application is such an imperative part of the major. So to miss class when you're in an acting program can be extremely detrimental."

Still, Mann is grateful for his time at DAYS and the friendships he made there, and he still keeps in touch with Eric Martsolf (Brady), Emily O'Brien (Theresa), and Ashley Puzemis (Holly).

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"I think the last thing I filmed was one of the journal entry scenes," the actor said. "I wrote some people cards thanking them for making my time on set super-special.... The chance to work with everyone was so awesome. It was amazing, and it was an invaluable learning experience."

What do you think? Will you miss Mann? Are you glad Tate will remain in Salem? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.

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