What Days Of Our Lives Fans Were Expecting From Melissa Reeves' Return
"Days of Our Lives" fans had been missing actress Melissa Reeves in the role of Jennifer Horton Deveraux. The actress played the role of Jen for 26 years before deciding not to return to the NBC soap opera during the COVID-19 pandemic (via TV Insider). In her absence, actress Cady McClain took over the role for a year and even won a Daytime Emmy for her work on the show, per Deadline.
After McClain exited the role in 2021, Reeves opted to return to Salem as Jennifer with appearances in early January 2022. During her short return, it was revealed that Jennifer and her husband Jack Deveraux (Matthew Ashford) would be leaving Salem to move to Boston, where they were set to take over a news operation, per Soap Opera Network. The pair left their local newspaper, The Salem Spectator, to their daughter, Abigail Deveraux DiMera (Marci Miller).
After Jack and Jennifer said goodbye to their friends and family members, the couple returned again in March 2022 when they got shocking family news, and fans were delighted to have both Ashford and Reeves back.
DOOL fans were happy to see Melissa Reeves and Matthew Ashford return
When Jennifer Horton (Melissa Reeves) and Jack Deveraux (Matthew Ashford) returned to Salem in March 2022, "Days of Our Lives" fans expected some emotional scenes and that's exactly what they got (via The OverTimer). Jack and Jennifer rushed home after they learned that their daughter Abigail had been kidnapped. The pair immediately began to look after their grandchildren, Thomas and Charlotte, while Abby's husband, Chad DiMera (Billy Flynn) headed off to find his wife.
During Reeves and Ashford's return to "DOOL," the pair shared scenes with Leann Hunley's Anna DiMera, Paul Telfer's Xander Cook, and more (via Soap Opera Network). Of course, the highlight of the actors' return came when Jack and Jennifer were reunited with Abigail, per Soap Hub. Abby then promptly told her parents that she was fine and that they should return to their lives and jobs in Boston now that she was home safely.
It's unclear if Reeves and Ashford will stick around for more drama, or if they'll return in the future. But for now, it seems that the pair are willing to pop in and out of Salem whenever they're needed.