Days of our Lives Recap Dec 16: Gabi told Leo too much, Mark questioned Dr Rolf, Cat tried to help Rafe
In the Days of our Lives recap for Tuesday, December 16, 2025, Rita took charge, Gwen threatened Leo, and Gabi laid down the house rules with Ari.
Days of our Lives Recap
Rita came to the DiMera mansion, looking for EJ ,but Gwen told her that he was missing. Rafe showed up and wanted the key to search to the crypt, but Rita told him it was sealed shut. Rafe demanded that she get it unsealed and call him when it’s done.
Rita told Gwen that her loyalty to the DiMeras never wavered over the years, but made it clear that she called the shots in EJ’s absence. Gwen told her that she’d wiped EJ’s phone clean before giving it to the police.
At the Hernandez house, Javi wanted to help Gabi cook, but she blasted him for telling Rafe she had a motive to kidnap the DiMeras. She wanted to know if Javi really thought she was that heinous. She asked if he’d told Rafe all the details of how she’d screwed over Theo and Philip and dropped DiMera right in Tony’s lap.
When Gabi got louder, she asked if Javi had also shared all the details with his gossip columnist fiancée. Leo skipped in and said he was an investigative journalist, and that Javi never told him everything, but she just did.
Javi asked Leo to pretend as if he’d never heard a peep, but he pointed out that it was fundamentally impossible not to be nosy. Leo asked Gabi how exactly she screwed over Theo and Philip, and what was in it for her to give DiMera Enterprises to Tony.
At the hospital, Mark saw Cat and asked if she’d seen EJ, but she told him that he was missing. Car warned him that the police would be looking in the lab and he’d better have some good answers bout what he was doing there, or he could wind up back in Statesville.
Cat called Rafe and said it was urgent that they meet, so he came to the hospital. Cat wanted to know why he didn’t tell her that EJ was missing. Rafe said he was going to the clinic to ask questions, and she wasn’t allowed to come with him.
Rafe asked Mark where EJ was, but he said he didn’t know and hadn’t seen him in a few days. After he left, Mark demanded answers from Dr. Rolf.
Gwen saw Javi and Leo in the square. He tried asking her about EJ, but she told him to quit investigating, or he’d find himself in the afterlife.
When Ari came home, Gabi insisted that she didn’t work at DiMera. She said she had no idea what she went through working there, but didn’t tell her what. Ari thought it wouldn’t be the same as she’d only be in the mail room. Gabi told her that as long as she lived under her roof, she called the shots and no daughter of hers would work for DiMera.
Johnny was worried when there was a knock at the door, but it was just Paulina, who’d come to tell them that EJ was missing. Johnny was a little rattled and felt like he should be looking for his dad. While alone in the living room, Rita knocked at the door and told Johnny he needed to come with her so she could convince him to become the DiMera CEO.