Gabi Hernandez

Gabi Hernandez is a fictional character from the American soap opera Days of Our Lives on the NBC network. The role was introduced in 2009, and played by actress Camila Banus from 2010 to 2023. The role was created by Dena Higley and Christopher Whitesell, and originated by actress Gabriela Rodriguez on November 20, 2009. Banus stepped into the role on October 4, 2010. She exited the role in April 2023, and last appeared in November of the same year. In 2024, the role was re-introduced with Cherie Jimenez.

Originally described as a sweet, innocent, and loving girl, a number of events since Gabi's arrival on the series have altered her personality. In 2012, the character experienced a personality shift, which would reveal her manipulative side that was called "crazy" and obsessive. Her storylines have included the death of her sister Arianna Hernandez (Lindsay Hartley), her first love (Will Horton) coming to terms that he is gay, and romances with Chad DiMera (Casey Deidrick/Billy Flynn), Nick Fallon (Blake Berris), JJ Deveraux (Casey Moss), Eli Grant (Lamon Archey), Stefan DiMera (Tyler Christopher/ Brandon Barash) and Jake Lambert (also Barash). Other storylines have included killing Nick, giving birth to Will's daughter, Arianna Horton, going to prison several times, being wrongly accused and imprisoned for the murder of André DiMera and her feuds with Chad, Abigail Deveraux, Julie Olson Williams and Lani Price, amongst others. Gabi is of Latin descent, and Banus has expressed her pride in representing the Hispanic community through her portrayal. Banus' portrayal of Gabi earned her a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series in 2015.

Gabriela Rodriguez first appeared in the role of Gabi on November 20, 2009. Of auditioning, Rodriguez said "It was honestly so random. I had never auditioned for a soap opera before and I was like "wow this is different. I think I want to give it a try." She seemed like such a cool girl, I was like "hey let's go for it." [...] I ended up talking with the casting director for a while and she just kind of explained to me about the character [...] The next day I got called for a callback and that was that." Fellow Hispanic actress Camilla Banus had also auditioned. Banus stated "I went in and read for the role. It was actually a pretty long process. The first audition then the second audition, then I went in again to meet the casting director and the producer. They then said they wanted me for a screen test. I did the screen test and they ended up not choosing me. They ended up going with the other girl [Rodriguez]. They told me that they wanted to go a little bit younger for the part."

"So, I put it out of my mind and said ‘Days is over. Keep on moving forward’ and I did."

In July 2010, Soap Opera Digest reported that Rodriguez had been replaced by Banus. Banus was previously best known for her role as Lola Montez on One Life to Live. Banus, who first aired as Gabi on October 4, 2010, said that the transition was "super easy" and she was welcomed onto the set with "lots of love".

Explaining her being hired by Days of our Lives, Banus said that two months after her initial audition she was again offered the role of Gabi by its casting director due to the character being aged, but rejected them because of other career projects. She recalled thinking "Days is over" again and "they were never going to call me again". Two months after this, Banus received a second call asking her to reconsider; she said "At that point I felt there was something there and that I HAD to do this, like it was something that was calling me and I said, ‘Yes.’" At the 2013 Emmy ceremony, Banus revealed that she would be departing from the series when her current contract expired. Her announcement followed the news that her costars Casey Deidrick and Chandler Massey were also leaving. Banus last aired on June 12, 2014, and briefly appeared from December 22 to 29, 2014. On April 24, 2015, it was confirmed that Banus would be reprising the role of Gabi to take part in the soap's fiftieth anniversary celebrations; Banus returned on September 17, 2015. In April 2018, Banus announced she had extended her deal with the soap for an additional year. In July 2020, it was announced she would once again exit the role; Banus last aired on August 28, 2020. The following month, Corday Productions announced Banus' exit would be short-lived, and that she was scheduled to return to filming in September; Banus’ return aired on November 27, 2020.

In May 2023, TheWrap announced Banus' exit from the soap; she last taped on April 28, and exited during the November 9 episode. In April 2024, Cherie Jimenez was cast in a then-undisclosed role, leading to speculation the character of Gabi had been recast. Two months later, Jimenez's casting as Gabi was announced; she debuted during the June 27 episode.

Initially, Gabi was "sweet" and "innocent". During an interview with TV Source magazine, Rodriguez described Gabi as "very loving", and said "even though sometimes she can come off like loudmouth and just like I guess bratty, but she's not. She's a really good girl and has a really big heart. She loves her brother and sister and would do anything for them." Rodriguez said that she is sensitive, has a strong personality and shows her soft side with people she's "comfortable with", and believed these were all traits Gabi has. Banus feels that she is like Gabi in the sense that she's "very, very sassy", stating "When Gabi has that kind of fiery thing, that’s totally Camila. Gabi is very motherly and likes helping the people that she loves, which is very much like me as well." She said that Gabi is sensitive when people say things about her. Gabi has three siblings: Rafe (Galen Gering), Arianna (Lindsay Hartley) and Dario Hernandez (Francisco San Martín). Rodriguez said that although they get into "little bickering fights every once in a while", the siblings love each other. Banus said that compared to her three siblings, Gabi "is extremely independent, responsible and she has been on her own for a little bit", but noted that "She is a family girl and loves taking care of family." She enjoys working with Galen, having stated "I love working with him. I think he’s my favorite person to work with, because we just have that brother and sister relationship."