Days of our Lives Recap Jan 5: Dimitri tells Leo he loves him as Javi walks away

In the Days of our Lives recap for Monday, January 5, 2026, Javi makes a decision, Tate gets a surprise, and Sarah and Brady ring in the new year together.

Days of our Lives Recap

Tate was at home on New Year’s Eve playing video games when Holly knocked on his door to surprise him by coming home a day early. He was even more surprised when she gave him a beret from Paris.

Tate and Holly talked about the DiMeras, the crypt, Rachel in Bayview, and his dad living at Holly’s.

At the Kiriakis mansion, Sarah interrupted Brady, who thought he’d ring in the new year by working from home. She thought they could watch the ball drop together instead.

Brady and Sarah were having a close moment when Maggie came in. They told her they were going to watch the ball drop and invited her to join them.

Maggie declined, but once she left, Sarah laughed that they felt like teens getting caught with a boy in her room. Brady pointed out it was his room — but they were alone in it again.

Brady realized it that they missed the ball drop when he saw it read 12:01 on his phone. He and Sarah began kissing.

At the Horton house, Julie and Jeremy played board games and talked about how much he was looking forward to going back to work. He told her about Stephanie’s fan mail and got defensive when he shared that Maggie accused him of being the one sending the letters.

Julie apologized for questioning if it was him. Jeremy told her that he was thinking of leaving Salem after the teacher he was subbing for returned to work.

Julie was taken aback and said she might not be ready for Jeremy to move on. Julie insisted that a lot of people wanted him there; Jeremy promised to think long and hard before deciding.

Jeremy pulled out Happy New Year hats and horns to celebrate. Julie hoped everyone had a good year as they cheered when the ball dropped.

After Leo and Javi’s wedding, Dimitri strolled in, much to the shock of the grooms. Dimitri told Leo that he was released from supermax, kidnapped, and put in Alamain, but now he was in front of the man he loved. 

Dimitri told Leo that he wrote the letter claiming to love someone else with a gun to his head. He didn’t know who they were or who they worked for, but he had a pretty good idea.

As Dimitri spoke, he turned to look at Gwen, who was an avid spectator of their conversation. Leo immediately noted that Gwen had been spending Dimitri’s money while claiming to have no idea where he was.

Gwen defended herself, pointing out that she asked Leo to help find him, but he refused. Leo explained that he thought Dimitri had moved on — and also he was just married to “the one true love of his life.”

Javi didn’t believe that Dimitri just stumbled into their wedding, although he insisted it was true. Dimitri accused Gwen of all of it — the kidnapping and bringing him to the square at the exact moment.

Leo said he didn’t know what to say, now that he knew Dimitri was in prison and he didn’t want to write the letter. Javi said that the marriage certificate wasn’t signed. 

Javi told Leo that he wasn’t so sure that if Leo knew that Dimitri loved him, Leo never would have fallen in love with him. Javi said Leo needed to figure out what was in his heart.

Leo was stunned when Javi said he was going to find Marlena and tell her not to file the certificate yet. Leo tried to stop him but Javi insisted. Javi said that Leo needed to figure it out without him and left.

Confused and upset, Leo ran off. Dimitri told Gwen that he was sure she was behind everything but she thought that Vivian was behind it. Dimitri agreed his mother had her issues, but she loved taking credit for her machinations.

Javi stumbled through the park crying as the fireworks began. He sat on a bench, and hyperventilated as he pulled off his tie and held his boutineer. 

Leo went to the hotel room that he was supposed to share with Javi. He found a heart of rose petals on the bed, a bottle of champagne, and a card addressed to him from Javi.