Legendary television actress Melissa Reeves is set to return to the NBC long-running soap opera Days of Our Lives. This is as the soap opera closes in on its sixtieth season since 1965. With an acting career spanning over four decades, Reeves’ career-defining role has been portraying the character of Jennifer Horton on the NBC soap opera.
The Jennifer Horton character is a fan favorite and has remained on the show for almost 50 years. Reeves joins the list of Days of Our Lives alum stars returning to the show. While her return has split the newer generation of Days audiences, older fans are more than excited to have the actress back as Jennifer Horton, irrespective of the duration of her stay.
Who Is Jennifer Horton On Days of Our Lives
When Days of Our Lives premiered on November 8, 1965, the show originally focused on two families—the Horton and Brady families. With several other families introduced on the show over the years, the Jennifer Horton character is one of the few members of the original core family still present. Jennifer Horton is the daughter of William “Bill” Horton and Laura Horton (née Spencer). The character is mostly known for her love and romance story arc.
Created by executive producer Betty Corday and scriptwriter Pat Falken Smith, Jennifer Horton appeared on Days of Our Lives in early February 1976. Although initially introduced as a rebellious teen, Jennifer’s growth over the years has made her one of the show’s heroines. For years, Jennifer’s most popular storyline was her romantic pairing with Jack Deveraux. It didn’t take long before audiences, who refer to them as “J&J,” dubbed them one of Days super couples.
Jennifer and Jack were married in 1991, and the marriage produced two biological children, Abigail Deveraux and JJ Deveraux. Over the years, the character has aged well, and Jennifer Horton is also a grandmother, with grandchildren Thomas DiMera and Charlotte DiMera from her biological daughter, Abby. Although Melissa Reeves is returning to play the character, the Jennifer Horton character has remained active on Days, portrayed by another actress.
Actresses Who Have Portrayed Jennifer Horton
With the character introduced as a rebellious teenager, child actress Maren Stephenson originated the role and portrayed the character for about a year, from 1976 to 1977. To adjust for a change in the character’s storyline and age, actress Jennifer Peterson was cast to portray the character from December 1, 1977, to July 4, 1979. Ultimately, the character was written off when her mother, Laura Horton, was placed in a psychiatric facility.
When the character was introduced in 1985, Melissa Reeves was cast as a much older Jennifer Horton. Reeves was fresh off the NBC soap opera Santa Barbara, where she was nominated for Best Young Actress in a Daytime or Nighttime Television Series at the Young Artist Award for her performance. Reeves became the longest-tenured actress to portray the role, which she did from 1985 to 1995. Melissa Reeves returned to reprise the role in 2000 but exited after six years in 2006. She returned in 2010 and stayed until 2020 when she had issues commuting from Tennessee to California because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Between her exits, actress Stephanie Cameron was first replaced by Reeves from December 18, 1995, to June 5, 1998, when the character was written off. Following Melissa Reeves’ 2020 exit, Cady McClain was temporarily cast before being made a permanent replacement. Besides Marci Miller portraying the character in a flashback episode on February 2, 2021, Cady McClain has been the face of Jennifer Horton.
Why Melissa Reeves Is Returning To Days of Our Lives
Melissa Reeves’ return is mostly centered around the death of Bill Hayes, who played her on-screen father, Bill Horton. Reeves will celebrate Thanksgiving in Days fictional town of Salem in what will be created as an on-air memorial for Bill Hayes. Reeves return means she’ll be replacing Cady McClain briefly to film the memorial episodes. Besides being her on-screen father, Melissa Reeves has much regard and respect for the late actor off-screen.
It isn’t the first time Reeves will return to Days of Our Lives to pay tribute to a co-star. In June 2010, her return (which became permanent until 2020) was to play Jennifer Horton in an on-screen tribute to actress Frances Reid (the former longest-running cast member on Days). Frances Reid was known for playing the matriarch Alice Horton. As much as Days remains a family and home to Melissa Reeves, she doesn’t have plans to take the role from Cady McClain, who has been nothing short of phenomenal in portraying Jennifer Horton.
According to Reeves, “My one thing was, ‘I’m not taking this away from Cady. If this is Cady’s thing, and she loves being here, and she really loves playing this part, I don’t want to take it away from her. I’m so good either way. I’m a huge fan of Cady’s. I even Instagram messaged her, ‘Oh, my God, I’m so grateful you’re playing my part! I’m honored.’ But it worked out.” Also, Melissa Reeves isn’t the only Days alum expected to return. If you enjoyed watching Melissa Reeves in Days of Our Lives, read 7 most beloved Days of Our Lives couples ever.
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