Eighteen months after actress Alison Sweeney first dipped her toe into podcasting, hosting a series of on-set chats with her Hallmark co-star Ashley Williams as they filmed two movies in Europe, the longtime “Days of Our Lives” star has rebooted and rebranded, launching “Between Takes with Ali Sweeney” on November 2, 2026.
In the first episode of her new podcast, which features casual, candid chats with many of Sweeney’s past and current colleagues, she sat down with her “Hannah Swensen Mysteries” co-star, Victor Webster. During their fascinating discussion about life and work, Webster shocked Sweeney by revealing he’s been diagnosed with narcolepsy and that too many concussions have led to amnesia about his childhood and even trips he’s taken with friends.
Alison Sweeney Had No Idea There Was a ‘Legitimate Reason’ for Victor Webster’s Frequent Naps On-Set
During the first episode of “Between Takes,” Sweeney brought photographic evidence of Webster taking naps on the set of “Hannah Sweeney Mysteries,” a beloved franchise of cozy mystery movies in which he’s played Detective Chad Norton since April 2024.
“I pulled up about five photos I have of working with you to show everybody how I catch you napping in between scenes,” she laughed.
“I love it,” Webster responded, but he then noted, “Just so the people out there, just so you know, I do have narcolepsy. I have a legitimate reason for wanting to take a little nappy pie everyone once in a while.”
Shocked, Sweeney replied, “What!? That’s not true. Really??”
“Yeah, I got diagnosed with (it),” Webster confirmed. “I couldn’t figure out why I was always wanting to fall asleep all the time. I can’t drive at nighttime for more than, like, an hour. If I’m in a lecture or any kind of slower movie, always falling asleep.”
According to the NIH’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, narcolepsy is a “chronic neurological disorder that affects the brain’s ability to control sleep-wake cycles.” Symptoms include excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) that doesn’t improve, no matter how much a person sleeps the night before. It can also include sudden episodes of muscle weakness called cataplexy, sleep paralysis, and disrupted REM sleep.
Webster said he did a sleep study in which he was diagnosed with a “low” level, but he still has to make lifestyle adjustments to function, sharing, “If I go to a play, I gotta have like two Red Bulls to go see a play.”
Victor Webster Tells Alison Sweeney He Can Stay Awake While He’s Active
Sweeney marveled that Webster never appears sleepy while they’re working beyond his naps, but he explained, “When I’m moving, I’m moving. When I sit down, I’m like (out).”
“I can literally fall asleep anywhere, anytime,” Webster continued. “You give me five minutes, I put my head down and I’m done.”
Sweeney asked Webster to name the craziest place he’s ever fallen asleep and he admitted, “I remember meeting one of my ex’s parents for the first time at dinner, and I remember falling asleep at the dinner table.”
“Oh no, that’s terrible!” Sweeney exclaimed, and Webster laughed, “Yeah. They were like, ‘What is wrong with this guy?’ I feel like I should call that person back and be like, ‘Hey, by the way, your parents were lovely. It had nothing to do with them whatsoever. I’m a little broken.”
Speaking of being broken, Webster shared later in the “Between Takes” podcast that he’s also suffered plenty of injuries on action movies, telling Sweeney, “I’ve torn my MCL, I’ve fractured my elbow, split my face open.”
In addition, he said, “I’ve had a lot of head trauma. I’ve had multiple concussions from motorcycle accidents and martial arts and stuff like that. So I have Swiss cheese brain. … My memory is so bad.”
Webster says he’s had conversations with friends in which he can’t remember a trip they took 15 years, and he has very few memories from growing up.
“I don’t remember childhood friends, I don’t remember what my childhood bedroom looked like, I don’t remember teachers at school, I don’t remember any of that stuff,” he said, revealing that he has a whole system for memorizing his movie lines several days in advance, often while he’s on the move.
Webster stars in the recent holiday movie “‘Tis the Season for Setups,” available to stream via Hallmark+. “Between Takes with Ali Sweeney” is available to download via Apple, Amazon, or Spotify.
Victor Webster Reveals Narcolepsy Diagnosis & Amnesia After Head Trauma