When Steve leaves town to find Joey's uncle Bo, Joey stows away on the plane. After the two have a heart to heart, where Steve recounts the story of how he and Kayla fell in love, Joey returns home. However, Joey continues causing trouble when he sabotages the electricity in the library at Salem High. Joey bonds with Theo Carver (Kyler Pettis) during Salem's bicentennial celebration and he ends up collapsing outside. Theo gets help and Joey is rushed to the hospital. Steve makes it back in time to see Joey in the hospital and Kayla reveals that there a drugs in his system. However, Joey denies ever taking drugs. While he recovers and gets released from the hospital, it is later revealed that Joey is working with Ava Vitali (Tamara Braun) to orchestrate his parents' reunion—unaware of her past. After his parents reunite, Steve and Kayla discover Ava's back in Salem and assume Joey has been working with her, but he denies it. Joey later admits to Ava that he is in love with her and he kisses her but Ava rejects him and reveals that she is dying. Kayla finds them together and demands that he stay away from her. Joey confides in Steve about his feelings for Ava and is shocked to learn Ava's past and that she may have given birth to Steve's son. Ava later kidnaps Kayla forcing Steve to cooperate with her in exchange for her release and Joey walks on them as they are about to make love. Ava forces Steve to leave town with her and gives Joey Kayla's location to free her. Though they are reunited as a family, Steve's betrayal leaves Joey bitter and angry. On November 24, 2012, Mary Beth Evans announced that child actor Jadon Wells would make his debut in the role of Joey in December 2012. Wells is the real life son of actor Dan Wells who had previously appeared on the series as Stan, the male alter ego of Sami Brady (Alison Sweeney). Jadon's appearances were limited to special Christmas episodes and he last appeared in December 2014. In March 2015, it was reported that "Days of Our Lives" had released two casting notices — one of which was for the contract role of the 16 year old Joey. In April 2015, talent agency John Robert Powers San Diego announced that James Lastovic had been cast in the role of Joey Johnson with a two-year contract. Five months prior, Lastovic had quit his day job to do a play for $25 a week.