But it hasn’t been clear about when he’d pass away onscreen, though, we could tell that the Peacock soap was preparing us for it.

But now that the show’s released spoilers for next week, we know when we’re going to lose him: Next Thursday, on Thanksgiving. We supposed it works in that Doug’s family will already be gathered as we know Jack, Jennifer, Eli and Lani will all be home for the holiday — but boy does that add a level of pain and heartbreak to a time of the year when families come together from all over the country.

Thanksgiving will never be the same for Julie, the Hortons, or the Williams family. Because by the following day, Shawn and Hope will also be rocked by the news. And, if our calculations are correct, the 15,000th episode will come the following Monday, which will be the show’s giant tribute to the daytime legend.

That doesn’t necessarily mean the 15,000th will be the funeral, though, as it seems more like it will be similar to Victor’s farewell, where we were treated to flashbacks with virtually everyone on canvas. And that farewell also overlapped with another milestone, as Suzanne Rogers celebrated 50 years on Days of Our Lives.

So while Thanksgiving may be when Doug dies, expect it to be just the beginning of his goodbye as Days of Our Lives looks back at 15,000 episodes on NBC and Peacock, 59 years of Salem and over half a century of our favorite con man turned family man, Doug Williams. And this trip through history, at least, is something we can all be thankful for this year.