It’s been years – seven long ones to be exact – since Days of our Lives viewers have seen EJ DiMera’s handsome face. But that’s about to change on June 9 and Salem will surely never be the same.
Days of our Lives — EJ DiMera
The character, originated by James Scott, will be played by Australian actor Dan Feuerriegel this time around. What do you need to know about the only son of mafia boss Stefano DiMera (Joseph Mascolo) and the wacky Susan Banks (Stacy Haiduk) ahead of his big Salem return? Here’s a crash course on EJ DiMera.
Criminal Mind
EJ started out as a total villain, the mastermind behind The Gloved Hand’s crime spree around town. He also brainwashed and tortured Steve (Stephen Nichols), shot John (Drake Hogestyn) and left him to die, and blackmailed Sami (Alison Sweeney) into having sex with him in exchange for saving Lucas’s (Bryan Dattilo) life.
For the Love of Sami
When Sami turned up pregnant with twins, tests proved EJ had fathered Johnny, while Lucas had fathered Allie. Stefano ordered the couple to marry to end the Brady/DiMera feud. Sami agreed after John was “killed” by a hit-and-run driver. Following the ceremony, EJ was shot by a furious Will (Chandler Massey), but recovered.
EJ attempted to change his evil ways and even agreed to help bring down Stefano. His first act of redemption: rescuing the kidnapped John from captivity. EJ kept Sami from annulling their marriage by claiming his visa had expired and immigration had threatened to deport him. In the interim, he and Sami made love for the first time. Ultimately, Sami learned the deportation story was a lie and ended their marriage.
Rebounding with Nicole
EJ moved on with Nicole (Arianne Zucker), the pair hooking up in an elevator for the first time. Soon, both Nicole and Sami learned they were pregnant with EJ’s child. After Nicole miscarried, she discovered Sami was secretly having EJ’s baby. Nicole arranged a swap with another infant (Maya’s baby, Grace) at birth and passed off Sami’s daughter as her and EJ’s child. EJ and Nicole wed. Later, EJ was furious to learn Sami had kept him from his daughter when Grace died. Rafe (Galen Gering) uncovered the truth about Nicole’s baby swap and revealed the news to EJ and Sami, who reunited with Sydney.
The Big Bang
Sami and EJ were growing closer when EJ concocted a devious scheme. He teamed up with Anna (Leanna Hunley) to fake Sydney’s kidnapping, so he could heroically find their daughter and bring her home. It worked like a charm. He and Sami were about to be married, but Rafe interrupted the ceremony with proof of EJ’s dastardly deed. Sami called the wedding off. Fearing that EJ might retaliate by kidnapping her children, Sami went to confront him. She found him passed out with a gun in his hand and shot him in the head.
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Upon recovering, EJ was determined to find out who tried to kill him. Nicole discovered the truth, and she and EJ got married to provide a united front and sue Sami for custody of her and EJ’s children. However, EJ soon found himself drawn to Nicole’s sister, Taylor, and they began an affair. When Nicole found out, she retaliated by exposing EJ and Stefano as the masterminds behind replacing Rafe with look-alike Arnold Finnegan.
Mr. Mayor
EJ decided to change, yet again, signing custody of his kids back to Sami and running for mayor of Salem with Nicole as his campaign manager. Yet, he reverted back to his old corrupt ways, framing John for corporate embezzlement, in an attempt to win. When Johnny suddenly disappeared, and Sami and EJ wrongly believed he’d been killed, they consoled one another by having sex.
Fortunately, the boy was discovered alive, and EJ was elected mayor, yet there was little time for celebrating when Rafe revealed EJ had slept with Sami. An angry Nicole dumped EJ, only to learn she was pregnant with his child. She pretended Rafe was the father but sadly ended up losing the baby.
Heading Back to Sami
EJ began pursuing Sami, who found herself torn between him, Rafe, and Lucas. When Lucas removed himself from the quadrangle, EJ blackmailed Rafe to stay away from Sami. The twist and turns in the EJ/Sami relationship heated up, when Sami shot a crooked cop trying to kill Rafe, and EJ made a deal with Stefano to get the evidence to clear her. Then, EJ found himself torn between his sister and the woman he loved when he learned Kristen had drugged and raped Sami’s twin brother Eric (Greg Vaughan). In a moment of weakness, EJ began a short-lived affair with Abigail.
When Sami learned about the tryst, she plotted payback. On her wedding day to EJ, Rafe showed up and arrested EJ for tax evasion, having been tipped off by Sami. While EJ was in the slammer, he signed his DiMera Enterprises proxies over to Sami, and she and Kate (Lauren Koslow) took control of the company, selling off numerous assets.
Not-So Dead End
EJ was eventually cleared and began an uphill battle to regain a position of wealth and power. He started wheeling and dealing in the business world, facing competition from the unscrupulous Clyde (James Read). Meanwhile, he and Sami reconciled and began planning their future. However, it was cut short, when EJ was shot by a henchman during a confrontation with Clyde and “died” in Sami’s arms.
Years later, Sami learned EJ was brought back to life via an injection from Kristen and set out to find him. She eventually located him in a clinic, where he was completely bandaged, having been severely burned in an explosion. After a DNA test confirmed he was indeed EJ, Sami transported him to Europe, where a medical team worked overtime to restore his health. Days of our Lives (DOOL) airs weekdays on NBC. Check your local listings for airtimes.
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