‘Days of Our Lives’ Comings & Goings: Melissa Reeves Finally Returns — But She’s Mired in Controversy
Melissa Reeves has been playing Jennifer Horton Devereaux on Days of Our Lives, off and on, for nearly three decades. For a time, she was off the canvas. Now, however, the latest comings & goings news reveals that Reeves is finally returning to Salem.
Melissa Reeves is returning to ‘Days of Our Lives’
Originating the role of Jennifer Horton Devereaux in 1985, Melissa Reeves has been playing the character on Days of Our Lives, off and on, since that time. But in 1995, Reeves abruptly left the show. No one understood what was going on, and the brass sued her for breach of contract.
Ultimately, the case was settled out of court, and Days executive producer Ken Corday donated the money from the settlement to pediatric AIDS research. At that point, Reeves was replaced by actor Stephanie Cameron, who stayed in the role until 1998.
Then, she returned to the show in 2000, and stayed until 2006. After her second departure, she and her family — which included her husband, The Young and the Restless vet Scott Reeves, and their two children — moved to Tennessee. Reeves reprised the role again in 2010, and stayed until 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced production to shut down.
She’ll be replacing Cady McClain
The show, as they say, must go on, and the same is true for Days of Our Lives. According to TV Insider, Reeves was replaced by soap legend Cady McClain, who filled in for the role while Reeves stepped away. McClain is best known for her role as Dixie on All My Children, who was ultimately killed off in the infamous “pancake death” episode of the show.
In between All My Children stints, McClain played Rosanna Cabot on As the World Turns. She was first in the role from 2002-2005 when she left All My Children. She was a member of the main cast until the show ended. McClain also starred on The Young and the Restless for a year from 2014-2015 as Kelly Andrews.
It was a fan-run Instagram account that first began the speculation about Reeves’ return to Days of Our Lives. According to the account, and Reeves confirmed her eventual return to the show at a convention.
Reeves was mired in controversy
According to SoapHub, Reeves will finally return to the Days of Our Lives canvas on the Friday, December 24 episode of the show. As fans already know, the show is not being pre-empted for Christmas eve, and the episode will be new. But that doesn’t mean everyone is excited about Reeves’ return.
TV Insider confirms that Days of Our Lives fans and castmembers alike were “disgusted” by Reeves’ racist views. These views included support for right-wing entertainer Candace Owens and her anti-Black Lives Matter views. Paul Telfer (who plays Xander), Lamon Archey (Eli), Billy Flynn (Chad), and Linsey Godfrey (Sarah) all spoke out against Reeves on Twitter.
Tune in to Days of Our Lives to see what happens next.
