Your Jack Deveraux Primer: Five Fast Facts About The Days of Our Lives Fave

It’s been a whirlwind of a ride since Jack Deveraux (Matthew Ashford) shocked everyone on New Year’s Eve and returned to Salem on Days of Our Lives.

Sure, he doesn’t remember his life and it’s not like Eve (Kassie DePaiva) is going to be of any help — after all, she has her own agenda.

Perhaps these five fast facts would be of service. Okay, maybe not to Jack but perhaps you need to know more about the man Jennifer (Melissa Reeves) can’t live without.

1. What’s In A Name?
His full name is Jack Harcourt Deveraux but his birth name was William Earl Johnson, AKA Billy.

His brother is Steve (Stephen Nichols) and his sister is Adrienne (Judi Evans), but it was Jennifer’s cousin Melissa who told him he was Duke and Joy Johnson’s biological son. He quickly turned on his adopted father, Senator Harper Deveraux, for keeping such a secret.

2. Sick In More Ways Than One
When Jack arrived in Salem, Harper hired then-nurse Kayla (Mary Beth Evans) to treat him for his Hodgkin’s disease. After all, they had both met previously while vacationing in Hawaii.

When Steve rejected her, Kayla married Jack but she cheated with Steve. Jack found out and raped her. After a heated confrontation with Steve, Jack needed a kidney and Steve came through after their mom, Jo, asked.

3. Start Spreading The News
Jack bought half of the Spectator in order to kill a story about him. He tried to blackmail his partner, Diana Colville, into selling her half and though she refused at first, eventually he got it. He then hired a beautiful college student to be his intern — a young Jennifer Horton.

4. Runaway Bride
Jack and Jennifer had started to fall for each other but he pulled away and she turned to Emilio Ramirez. Melissa returned and tried to encourage an Emilio and Jennifer pairing so she could have Jack, but Jack found out and kidnapped Jennifer on her wedding day!

5. Marriage of Convenience
Jack learned the Spectator was in trouble, so he married Eve Donovan because she needed a husband to get her hands on Nick Corelli’s fortune.

Once Eve got the money, the marriage was annulled. Jack tried to reunite with Jennifer. She finally admitted she’d pushed him away because Lawrence Alamain raped her.

Days of our Lives (DOOL) airs weekdays on NBC. Check your local listings for airtimes.