Days of Our Lives used to be known for its supercouples and strong romances, and Jack Deveraux and Jennifer Horton were one of the most popular and enduring couples.
Newer viewers might only know Jack as the man without a memory who keeps letting Eve Donovan manipulate him into hurting his family and who once raped Kayla, but that’s a shame.
Jack and Jennifer have a rich history, some of which could enhance the current stories (like the time Jack and Jen entered a fake marriage so she could adopt a baby.)
Check out this classic couple slideshow devoted to Jack and Jennifer’s history, then share your favorite memory in the comments!
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Jack and Jennifer Meet
In 1989, Jack was a shady politician who bought the Salem Spectator to stop the press from covering his political malfeasance while Jennifer was a naive reporting student. Nobody would have guessed that sparks would fly when she got an internship working for Jack, but it was soon clear that they had both met their match.
Jack Vs. Emilio Round One
While Jack and Jennifer both fought their feelings for each other, the situation became complicated when Emilio Ramirez became interested in Jennifer. Emilio was a former gang member who had had negative interactions with Jack before Jack’s reformation. Jack kept trying to interfere with Emilio’s interest in Jennifer, but wouldn’t put his all into pursuing her himself, feeling he wasn’t good enough. Eventually, the Emilio problem resolved itself when Jennifer found out that Emilio had tampered with Adrienne’s brakes. She broke up with him and he left town, leaving Jack free to pursue Jennifer.
Jack and Jennifer’s Fake Marriage
When a pregnant woman named Sally deliberately got herself thrown in jail for robbery so that she wouldn’t be homeless, Jennifer became determined to raise Sally’s baby. Jack suggested he and Jennifer pretend to be married so that she could more easily adopt the baby. Jennifer was unsure she trusted Jack, while Jack hoped this fake marriage would lead to true love, but in any case the plan failed when Child Protective Services denied Jennifer custody because of Jack’s past rape of Kayla. However, when Jack found a way to get the baby to Jennifer anyway and helped take care of her, Jennifer began to fall for him. Sadly, baby Hannah’s grandparents came to get her, leaving Jack and Jennifer heartbroken.
Jack vs. Emilio Round 2
After losing baby Hannah, Jennifer didn’t want to admit to herself that she had feelings for Jack, while Jack was convinced he wasn’t good enough for Jennifer. As a result, Jennifer ended up turning to Emilio again when Emilio came back to town. The two got engaged even though Jennifer’s heart belonged to Jack. Jack couldn’t take it anymore and kidnapped Jennifer from her wedding to Emilio and married her himself.
Harper Interferes
Jack’s evil adoptive father, Harper Deveraux, contacted Jack to try to get him to speak at his parole hearing. Jennifer didn’t like Jack’s relationship with Harper, fearing that Harper would negatively influence Jack to go back to his old ways, and Harper didn’t like her either. In fact, he told Jack that if Jennifer didn’t back off, he’d have her killed! Jack distanced himself from Jennifer to protect her, even firing her from the Spectator.
The Cruise of Deception Leads to Their First Time Making Love
The evil Ernesto Toscano arranged for a number of people to be on a ship called The Loretta, which came to be known by DAYS fans as the Cruise of Deception because Ernesto set up the cruise as part of an elaborate plot to kill his daughter Isabella and her friends and family. Jack and Jennifer were on that ship, and when there was a shipwreck they were stuck on an island together, where they ended up making love for the first time.
Jennifer’s Rape
Jack’s self-hatred reared its ugly head again when Jack was forced to kill Harper in self-defense and pushed Jennifer away as a result. Jennifer decided to go to New York to rescue her friend Katerina (aka Carly Manning) from having to marry the evil Lawrence Alamain. Eventually Lawrence kidnapped Jennifer and Alice and forced Jennifer to marry him. He then raped her. By this point, Steve had appeared to die in front of Jack, making Jack aware that life was short, so Jack was finally ready to give a relationship with Jennifer a chance. However, Jennifer was too ashamed of the rape to tell him about it, driving another wedge between the couple.
Jack Proposes to Jennifer But It Doesn’t Work
When Jack and Jen came back from New York, Jack dressed as Santa, knocked over Jennifer’s Christmas tree, and then proposed to her after he was finished scaring her to death. Jennifer said yes, but her difficulty dealing with Lawrence’s rape of her made her skittish around Jack, and Jack thought that she was having an affair with Frankie. When Jack tried to kiss her one day, she blurted out that he was a rapist — words meant for Lawrence, but which broke Jack’s heart.
Eve/Jack/Jen/Frankie Quadrangle
After Jennifer accidentally called Jack a rapist, he let her go, thinking she deserved a guy like Frankie instead. Meanwhile, Jack married Eve Donovan to get the money to stop Lawrence from buying the Spectator. That marriage was never consummated and eventually Frankie convinced Jennifer to tell Jack the truth about what Lawrence had done to her. Julie bought Eve out so that Jack could annul the marriage and return to Jennifer. Jack then supported Jennifer when she pressed charges against Lawrence.
Jack and Jennifer Finally Get Married
Jack and Jennifer had a Wild West themed wedding, complete with Alice punching some cowboy who tried to kick her out of her seat! After exchanging vows, they went on their honeymoon, where they conceived their daughter, Abigail.
Medical Tragedy Strikes
At first, Jack and Jennifer seemed to have settled down into a happy, traditional family life. But then Abigail developed aplastic anemia, and Jack found out that the disease was caused by toxic waste that Harper’s company had dumped into the water supply years ago. Jack felt guilty about his daughter’s illness and left town, leaving room for Peter Blake to swoop in to try to take his place in Jennifer and Abigail’s lives.
Rescuing Jennifer from Peter
Jack returned when he realized Peter, who had married Jennifer, had nefarious plans for her. After learning Peter planned to kidnap Jennifer and Abigail, Jack confronted him. Peter disappeared and was presumed dead, and Jack was arrested for his murder! Jennifer helped Jack break out of prison and the family went on the run, hiding in the circus while trying to prove Jack’s innocence. Eventually, Peter tried again to kidnap Jennifer and Jack rescued her, proving he was no murderer and ensuring Peter was the one who went to jail.
Jennifer Gets Disillusioned
After the Peter fiasco, Jack and Jennifer decided to live in Africa for a while, but Jack got involved in some get-rich-quick schemes and a disillusioned Jennifer felt he was not mature enough for her. Jennifer went to Ireland with Abigail without telling Jack, but he found out from Alice where she was. The family returned to Salem and Jack convinced Jennifer that they should all live together for Abigail’s sake even though Jennifer wasn’t in love with Jack anymore. However, Jack rescued Jennifer after a car accident and that helped her change her mind and give him another chance.
The Greta Fiasco
While Jack and Jennifer were separated, Jack met Greta Von Amburg and flirted with her to try to make Jennifer jealous enough to pursue him. However, Greta fell hard for Jack. Jack told Greta he was gay so that he wouldn’t hurt her feelings, leading to a big mess because he had to convince Jennifer he was dating Greta while convincing Greta he was into men. When Jennifer found out, she decided to seduce Jack to prove to Greta he was lying. However, she found herself wanting to have sex with him — but Jack refused to do so because of his guilt over all hs lies.
The Melaswen Adventure
After a misunderstanding where both Jack and Jennifer thought the other one murdered Colin Murphy, a con artist that Jennifer had dated while on the outs with Jack, the couple reconciled and Jennifer became pregnant with her son JJ. However, Jack became one of the victims of an outlandish plot by Andre Dimera to fake the murders of Salem’s most loved citizens and transport them to the island of Melaswen. When Jennifer learned Jack was alive, she went to Melaswen to rescue him and ended up giving birth to JJ a month before he was due.
Jack Thinks He’s Dying But Finds His “Dead” Brother
Jack enjoyed getting to knew his new son, but soon he came to believe he was dying of a rare blood disease and faked his death in a car accident so that Jennifer would be free to be with Frankie without the agony of watching him die a slow, painful death. Jack secretly went to a hospice to die, but he met an unusual worker: his presumed-dead brother Steve, who was suffering from amnesia! Jack felt he had to bring Steve back to Salem and try to restore his memories, but Jennifer was furious that Jack had faked his own death and refused to leave Frankie to reunite with him.
Reconciliation and Move to London
Jack and Jennifer finally reconciled after the subject of a story about a murdered cop kidnapped them both. Soon afterwards, they decided to move with their family to London so that they could pursue the opportunity to work as reporters there.
Jack Returns from Afghanistan
Jennifer returned to Salem by herself after Alice’s death, explaining that Jack had decided to go to Australia and that she was sick of him abandoning her family. She soon moved on with Daniel Jonas, but just as Daniel was about to ask her to move in with him, Jack fell from a balcony where he was spying on them, landing in a cake meant for the dedication of the new Horton Town Square to Tom and Alice’s memories. It turned out that Australia was a cover and Jack had been pursuing a story in Afghanistan, leading to him being held hostage. Jennifer couldn’t decide between him and Daniel and tried to date them both, but eventually chose Jack.
Jack Dies Saving Abigail
As the result of a convoluted plot on Gabi’s part to get Chad, Melanie Jonas was kidnapped and held in the tunnels and several Salemites who were trying to help Melanie got stuck underground when there was a gas explosion. Abigail was trapped in an elevator and Jack managed to get her out, but the elevator plunged to the ground soon after and Roman identified a set of charred remains as his. His last words to Jennifer were “I love you.”
Jack Rescues Jennifer from Addiction
After a drunk Eric killed Daniel in a car accident that also left Jennifer with a back injury, she became addicted to pain pills and desperate to get more after her prescription ran out. Jack appeared to Jennifer in a dream, where he encouraged her to find a new purpose for her life now that he was gone and her children were grown. Jennifer awakened with a new resolve to get clean.
A Resurrected Jack Returns
Jennifer and JJ got the shock of their lives when Jack walked through the door just as they were ringing in 2019. Jennifer was thrilled that Jack was alive — until she discovered he was suffering from amnesia and that Eve had worked with Xander to resurrect him and remold him into someone loyal to her as part of a revenge plot against Jennifer.
Has Jen Lost Jack for Good?
Thanks to Eve’s influence, amnesiac Jack has returned to believing he’s not good enough for Jennifer, married Eve instead, and betrayed JJ in the name of scoring political points. Jennifer keeps telling people she has to give up on Jack, but she doesn’t seem able to do it. Even Jack first arresting her and then arresting their son for vindictive reasons doesn’t seem to be enough to get her to back off and she is determined to spark Jack’s memories and get the man she loved back. Only time will tell if Jennifer’s love for Jack is enough to defeat Eve’s plan or if the reformed Jack is gone for good.
