Days of Our Lives Recap: December 16, 2025 — EJ Vanishes, Secrets Explode Across Salem
Days of Our Lives Recap: December 16, 2025 — EJ Vanishes, Secrets Explode Across Salem
The December 16, 2025 episode of Days of Our Lives delivers nonstop suspense as Salem is rocked by disappearances, secrets, and dangerous investigations that threaten to tear families apart.
The episode opens with a chilling revelation: EJ DiMera is missing—and not just missing, but trapped inside the DiMera crypt. Surrounded by the ghosts of his powerful ancestors, EJ finds himself imprisoned alongside other DiMera family members, raising alarming questions about who orchestrated this sinister plot and why. This is no ordinary disappearance—it’s a descent into the darkest corners of the DiMera legacy.
News of EJ’s vanishing reaches Johnny DiMera, his estranged son. Despite years of resentment and conflict, Johnny admits he’s genuinely worried about his father. Confiding in Chanel, Johnny reveals his regret over cutting EJ out of his life, proving that even fractured family bonds still carry weight. Paulina Price later offers Johnny tough but compassionate advice, urging him to focus on what he can control rather than drowning in guilt.
Trying to distract himself, Johnny throws his energy into a filming job for Leo Stark, covering a glamorous Salem party. But even amid champagne and flashing lights, whispers about the DiMera scandal follow him everywhere, reminding viewers that in Salem, drama is never far away.
Elsewhere, Leo grows suspicious of Gwen Rizczech’s secret alliance with EJ. When he presses her for answers, Gwen shuts him down hard, making it clear some deals are meant to stay buried. Tensions escalate in the town square when Leo clashes with Gabi Hernandez, whose explosive reactions hint at something far more personal.
That secret is soon revealed: Gabi is hiding Philip Kiriakis. The weight of this deception is crushing her, threatening her relationship and emotional stability. Javi Hernandez’s taunts only push her closer to the edge, forcing Gabi to confront how fragile her carefully built life really is.
Meanwhile, the investigation into EJ’s disappearance heats up. Rafe Hernandez and his partner clash over methods, with Rafe insisting on playing by the book. Their search leads them to question Rita, a nervous witness whose half-truths suggest a much larger conspiracy tied to the DiMera empire.
The episode takes an even darker turn in Dr. Rolf’s hidden laboratory, where Mark Greene realizes he may be in far deeper trouble than he imagined. As Rolf’s experiments spiral out of control, Rafe arrives with the FBI, leaving Mark trapped and terrified as the episode ends on a dramatic cliffhanger.
From crypt imprisonment to explosive secrets and looming arrests, the December 16, 2025 episode proves once again that in Salem, no secret stays buried forever—and danger is always just one revelation away.
