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What Happened to EJ DiMera on DAYS OF OUR LIVES

EJ DiMera on DAYS OF OUR LIVES, like many residents of Salem, was believed to be dead until he turned up very much alive! If you’re a little confused about who he is and where he’s been, we’ve got you covered!

Who Plays EJ DiMera?

EJ DiMera was introduced in 1997 and played by a set of triplets as a baby before returning to DAYS as an adult in 2006 in the form of actor James Scott. Although the character was killed off in 2014, a mysterious patient covered in bandages played by Trey Baxter was revealed to be EJ back from the dead in 2018. After leaving town for a while, the character was brought back to the canvas in June 2021, now played by actor Dan Feuerriegel.

Who are EJ DiMera’s parents?

Born Elvis Aaron Banks to Susan Banks and Stefano DiMera, EJ was thought to have been brought up by Susan and her new husband, Edmund Crumb, but he was actually taken by Stefano. Sami Brady encountered the handsome EJ as an adult and was smitten, but then everyone found out about his connection to Stefano. After shooting John Black, EJ used Sami to help escape Salem, and agreed to help save Lucas’ life if she agreed to sleep with him.

Days of Our Lives Sami EJ
Sami didn’t mind her new neighbor’s allergy to shirts.Paul Skipper/jpistudios.com

Sami wound up pregnant with twins, and it turned out EJ had fathered Johnny DiMera while Lucas had fathered Allie. Blackmailed by Stefano, Sami agreed to marry EJ and the groom was shot at the altar by her son, Will Horton! (Although Lucas took the fall and the truth didn’t come out for a long time.) EJ tried to turn over a new leaf and agreed to help bring down his father, starting by rescuing a kidnapped John from Stefano’s clutches. EJ also tried to keep Sami from annulling their marriage, but she saw through his schemes and they split.

How did EJ and Nicole get together?

EJ got trapped in an elevator with Nicole Walker and they had sex. She didn’t tell anyone when she miscarried and when Nicole learned Sami was also having EJ’s baby, stole another infant to swap with Sami’s. After marrying Nicole, EJ was furious to learn Sami had kept him from his own child when Grace died. He grew cold and ruthless, but in the end, saved Rafe Hernandez’s life. Rafe returned the favor by revealing that Nicole had swapped the babies and EJ and Sami were reunited with Sydney. Learning that Stefano had been behind Nicole’s schemes, EJ severed ties with his father.

Sami and EJ grew closer when Syndey was kidnapped, but it turned out that EJ had teamed up with Anna DiMera to fake the abduction so he could be the big hero when he brought the girl home safe. So as Sami and EJ prepared to remarry, Rafe interrupted the ceremony with proof of his crimes. Fearing that EJ might kidnap her children, Sami went to confront him, but finding him passed out drunk and holding a gun she just shot him in the head!

Days of Our Lives Nicole EJ Wedding
Neither of Nicole and E.J.’s marriages lasted very long.Paul Skipper/jpistudios.com

After EJ recovered, he was determined to find out who had tried to kill him. Arianna Hernandez had proof, but died in a hit-and-run before she could give it to him. Nicole found it and she and EJ got married so they could take custody of the kids away from Sami. Unfortunately, EJ fell hard for Nicole’s sister, Taylor, and they began an affair shortly after the wedding. Nicole found them together and took her revenge by helping expose that EJ and the DiMeras were behind replacing Rafe with an evil look-alike.

Was EJ mayor of Salem?

EJ decided to change his ways again, giving Sami back custody of the twins and running for Mayor of Salem with Nicole managing his campaign. But he used underhanded methods to try and win, framing John for corporate embezzlement. When Sami and EJ feared Johnny had died, they grieved by falling into bed together, but thankfully the boy was fine. Eventually, EJ was elected mayor, but his celebration was short-lived as Rafe revealed he’d slept with Sami and a furious Nicole left him again. 

Nicole wound up pregnant, and had to claim that Rafe was the father, something EJ did not believe. When Stefano was shot, EJ was the prime suspect, but was actually innocent. Sami helped him escape the police and they went on the run where he was nearly killed by the real shooter, Ian McAlister. Although the charges were dropped, EJ was forced to resign as mayor. On the plus side, he and Sami grew closer than ever and began planning a future together.

Days of Our Lives EJ Sami
EJ and Sami’s relationship was… complicated, to put it mildly!Howard Wise/jpistudios.com

Things got complicated when Sami shot a guy trying to kill Rafe who turned out to be a (dirty) cop, and EJ had to return the family company to Stefano in order to get the evidence to clear her name. Also when EJ knew about Kristen DiMera drugging and having sex with Sami’s brother, Eric Brady. He wanted to make things right with Sami, but instead started an affair with Abigail Deveraux! However, it ended when they both realized he would always love only Sami. But Sami learned of the affair and secretly plotted to humiliate EJ on the day of their wedding.

How did EJ die and come back?

Sami took over his business, and EJ struggled to win her back. But since she controlled his fortune, EJ was forced to turn to crime to make money and that led him to drug dealer Clyde Weston. While meeting him in the park, EJ was shot by one of his goons and he died in Sami’s arms. However, Kristen visited EJ’s body in the morgue and injected him with an unknown substance, and the ashes in the urn that Sami received were not EJ’s. In 2018, Kristen returned claiming that EJ was still alive, and Sami became determined to find the man she loves. Brady stumbled upon a man in a wheelchair being held by Kristen and Xander Cook who whispered the name “Samantha.” After he was badly burned in the explosion, the mystery patient was brought back to Salem where Sami ran a DNA test and was stunned to learn it was EJ!

With his identity confirmed, Sami left Salem with EJ in the hopes of restoring him to health once more. So far Sami has popped back to Salem a few times (cheating on him with Lucas in her most recent visit!) but EJ has remained in Europe. When EJ eventually arrived in Salem, he and Chad teamed up to run DiMera together and he rekindled things with Sami. However, he soon found out about her affair with Lucas and threw her out. When Johnny came home, EJ wanted his son to join DiMera and didn’t approve of his idea to make movies. EJ also tried dating Nicole again and when Sami resurfaced after being kidnapped, he assured Nic he was over his ex-wife. But he then found himself accused of Sami’s kidnapping and Nicole dumped him! 

DAYS Sami EJ Belle
“Sami, this isn’t what it looks like… okay, yeah, it’s exactly what it looks like.”XJJohnson/jpistudios.com

Belle Black agreed to represent E.J. in court, but after the devil disguised himself as the DiMera to kiss Abigail, Chad angrily testified against him and E.J. was found guilty of kidnapping. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison where he found himself sharing a cell with Clyde, who he quickly remembered had been responsible for his shooting! Once Belle found evidence that E.J. had been set up, he was set free and they both grew closer as they bonded over their failed relationships with others. As he began regaining power at DiMera, E.J. also began a romance with Belle and when Sami found them in bed together, she washed her hands of the whole thing and left Salem.

When E.J. found out that Chad and Kate had known Lucas was really behind Sami’s kidnapping, he blackmailed them for their DiMera shares and accumulated more power. After Jake was killed, E.J. invited his supposed widow, Ava Vitali, to move into the family mansion, and later tried to blackmail her when he overheard that she’d helped Gwen escape from prison the night Abigail had been murdered.

Stay tuned to find out what happens when he comes home!

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