Jennifer Horton is a fictional character from the Peacock soap opera Days of Our Lives, played by actress Melissa Reeves.

Jennifer Horton is one of the earliest characters to be invented by executive producer Betty Corday,[6] and scriptwriter Pat Falken Smith.

She is the daughter of established characters Bill and Laura Horton, and the mother of Abigail and JJ Deveraux[8] As Jennifer is introduced on February 9, 1976, the role was originated by child actress Maren Stephenson until August 8, 1977.

For storyline purposes, the role is briefly taken over by Jennifer Peterson from December 1, 1977, to July 4, 1979, until the character was written out of the show when her mother, Laura Horton, was in a psychiatric facility, thus and would not be able to care for her.

On October 9, 1985, the character was re-introduced with Santa Barbara actress Melissa Reeves in the role.

[9] In early 2000, rumors started swirling that Melissa Reeves would be returning to the show, due to the series crumbling to fill the void left by the departures of front-burner cast members Vivian Alamain, played by Louise Sorel and Eric Brady, played by Jensen Ackles.

The show's matriarch, Frances Reid who played Alice Horton died of old age on February 3, 2010.

[12] In September 2020, it was announced Cady McClain had been temporarily cast in the role, replacing Reeves—who opted not to commute from Tennessee to California—due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

In 1985, Jennifer returns to Salem as a teenager in deep trouble who dressed in a style similar to Madonna at the time.

By the following year she gives up on her runaway lifestyle and moves back in with her grandparents, Tom and Alice Horton.

Together, Jennifer and Frankie foil a robbery attempt and help bust a prostitution ring.

[8] In 1989, Jennifer becomes an intern reporter at the Salem Spectator, working under the tutelage of publisher Jack Deveraux.

[8] She befriends Sally, a pregnant homeless girl who gets herself arrested so she won't have her baby on the streets.

[8] After a hurried wedding, Lawrence rapes Jennifer, admitting that he knew her real identity all along.

[8] With the help of her new tenant and friend, Patrick Lockhart, Jennifer begins looking forward to a new life with Abby and the baby.

[8] In June 2010, Jennifer returns to Salem after receiving the news that her grandmother, Alice Horton, is very ill and does not have much time left.

While in Salem, Jennifer tries to provide guidance to Bo and Hope, inferring that she thinks it is best if they reconcile.

Jennifer leaves Salem after Alice's funeral and after an altercation with Vivian Alamain, and returns to London to be with her family.

The women's prison that Hope is staying at, however, is trafficking human organs that came from dead inmates, and the doctor that Jennifer had been seeing at the time is helping Warden Jane and the DiMera family.

Melanie Layton and Dr. Daniel Jonas are informed of Jennifer's condition and rush to save her.

Although Jennifer and Abby are upset at his absence, he reveals that he was held prisoner in Afghanistan while covering the opium trade there, and that a British friend he had there was killed, giving him PTSD.

When Daniel returns, Jennifer asks him if they can be friends, and he tells her they can, while he begins a secret romance with Nicole Walker.

When the tunnels explode underneath Salem, Jack saves Abby from being trapped in a broken elevator.

Daniel saves Jennifer's life after, admitting that he loves her, by removing her appendix before it bursts, with Nicole's help.

Having lost him, Chloe sank into a state of post partum depression and tried to commit suicide.

Shortly after at a New Years party, Jack returns, but does not reconcile with Jennifer due to having amnesia and being manipulated by Eve.

This puts Jennifer into a coma for a whole year, and when she wakes up, she clears Eve's name, who had been in prison for pushing her.

The character of Jennifer has been well received by critics, with Reeves' long-running portrayal regarded as "being one of the most beloved" in the series.

[24] In 2020, Charlie Mason from Soaps She Knows placed Jennifer 27th on their list of the 35 most memorable characters from Days of Our Lives, commenting "They broke the "good girl" mold after fashioning from it Melissa Reeves' spunky, halo-clad heroine.

But we can't deny we've always been more drawn to the dark side… and scamps like the one who'd be delighted to know that she beat her nemesis to come in at No.