Days Recap: Days of our Lives Recap, August 5: EJ Tells Johnny the Truth About Kristen

In today’s Days of our Lives recap for Wednesday, August 5, 2026, Alex pled his case to Joy, the distance between Stephanie and Alex widened, Lexie planned her end-game, and suspicions mounted about the DiMera disappearances.

Bringing Up Baby

Joy took joy in throwing Stephanie under the bus to Alex | Image: Peacock

At the Brady Pub, Alex caught up with Joy and asked to talk. Despite being resistant at first, Joy eventually conceded and went inside with him. Alex began by apologizing for “storming out” of their custody meeting and asked for another chance to work things out. Joy wasn’t biting, though. She was tired of being treated as the “town pariah,” and she was certain Stephanie would ensure her alienation would only continue. As such, she intended to go back to New York.

Alex was stunned. Joy insisted she had the financial means (with the assistance of her parents) to take care of Kelsey. There was nothing else in Salem for her if she and Alex couldn’t come to an agreement. He could visit anytime he wanted…without Stephanie. Alex grew frustrated and lashed out again at Joy for being unreasonable, which gave Joy the opening to fill him in on her frosty encounter with Stephanie the previous day — the encounter Stephanie herself hadn’t yet mentioned to Alex.

Joy played up Stephanie’s supposed out-of-control and irrational behavior. She had even accused Joy of trying to snag Alex for herself. Joy added that before Stephanie’s outbursts, she had been seriously considering easing up on her demands. Alex reminded Joy that he, too, had parental rights since his name had been added to the birth certificate. He implored Joy to stay because he wanted to know and love his daughter.

Joy reluctantly acquiesced, as Alex promised to make things right for everyone. After he left, though, Joy talked to Kelsey about her dreams of the three of them becoming the kind of family she’d never really had herself.

A Pal and a Confidante

Theo and Stephanie used their business meeting as a venting session | Image: Peacock

At DiMera Enterprises, Stephanie stopped by to talk PR business strategy with Theo, who was visibly distracted. He’d just ended a call with Lexie and had sensed something was very wrong. Stephanie urged him to open up, so Theo told her about the call and about Lexie’s puzzling insistence that neither Abe nor Theo accompany her on the trip. Stephanie tried to reassure Theo about the call and said Lexie might have just been jet-lagged and would likely be back to herself the next time she called.

Looking for a distraction, Theo turned the talk to Stephanie and Alex. He hoped things had improved since the last time they’d talked. It was Stephanie’s turn to bend Theo’s ear about the ongoing friction with Joy. Stephanie admitted she had misjudged Joy’s intentions at times, but the situation had taken a decidedly downward turn when she had confronted Joy about the other woman’s increasingly restrictive custody demands. The strain was worse than ever, and Joy had only dug into her position more. Theo listened sympathetically and then encouraged Stephanie to talk with Alex.

Later, Stephanie met with Alex outside the pub. Before she could really say anything, Alex told his wife he knew all about her latest argument with Joy. Stephanie tried to defend herself and said she only had good intentions in mind, but Alex lambasted her for once again ruining everything with Kelsey and Joy. He heatedly walked away, ignoring Stephanie’s calls after him.

The Power of Goodbye

Lexie prepared her messages from beyond | Image: Peacock

In her secret room at the DiMera mansion, Lexie called Theo and pretended to be in South Africa with Celeste. When Theo asked to speak with his grandma, Lexie made an excuse and likewise claimed she might not be in touch very often over the next few days. She tried to cover her exhaustion and ended the call with a warm goodbye to her son.

EJ arrived in the room, surprised that Lexie had managed to get any cell service. When he asked about her next plans, Lexie reiterated her intention to stay in the room until she died. She wanted Abe and Theo’s last memories of her to be positive. Lexie also confirmed with EJ that he would send letters written by her to both Theo and Abe after she passed away.

Lexie had one more request of EJ: leave Kristen alone. EJ still wouldn’t tell her what Kristen had done to earn his ire, but Lexie firmly believed depriving Rachel of her mother for an entire lifetime was exceptionally cruel. She gently cautioned EJ that he was on a road that would lead to misery and loneliness and advised him the path was not set in stone yet. EJ seemed somewhat moved by Lexie’s words and said he’d keep them in mind.

Later, Lexie braced herself and sat down to pen her letters to Abe and Theo. She began Abe’s letter by calling him the true love of her life. And Theo’s letter began with mentions of the three wonderful blessings that had come into Lexie’s life.

Detective Squad

Paulina wanted Lani to trade in her apron for a magnifying glass | Image: Peacock

In Horton Town Square, Paulina greeted Lani as the latter set up Sweet Bits’ outside pastry stand. Paulina clearly had something on her mind and updated her eldest daughter on her suspicions about Lexie’s abrupt departure from town. She wanted Lani to help her find out the truth about Lexie. Lani begged off, reminding Paulina that she was no longer a cop. Paulina briefly offended Lani by making a sarcastic crack about her current job, but she apologized after Lani shot back that she was putting her family first.

Johnny, who had earlier chatted with Paulina before receiving a call from Marlena, returned and added another puzzling mystery to the plate: Kristen, too, had seemingly vanished. Lani recalled the last time she’d seen Kristen, which had read to Lani as a covert goodbye. Johnny went off in search of answers, while Paulina and Lani theorized whether the sudden disappearance of two DiMera sisters was a coincidence.

Paulina again asked Lani for help with Lexie. Lani still had her detective skills, and she could enlist Eli’s aid and resources. Paulina insisted she didn’t want Abe back. She would always care about him, and she wanted to prevent him or Theo any more hurt and pain. Lani appeared to acquiesce, especially after she later had a conversation with Theo in which he also expressed worry about his mom.

Meanwhile, at the DiMera mansion, Johnny paid a visit to EJ. He told his dad about Kristen’s disappearance and quickly surmised that EJ wasn’t exactly acting surprised. He demanded to know what EJ had done with his aunt. EJ decided honesty was his best policy in the moment. He indicated he had to tell Johnny something he had never wanted his son to know. Then EJ astounded his son by confessing that Kristen was behind Sophia’s attempt on Johnny’s life.

Johnny was dumbfounded and couldn’t understand why Kristen would try to murder her own nephew. EJ indicated he had been Kristen’s true target. He explained the entire murder plot and Kristen’s reasoning: she had blamed him for going to prison. The revelations only confused Johnny more, since he still believed Kristen had shot EJ. Without revealing the truth about Rachel, EJ said that Kristen had considered him at fault for driving Kristen to shoot him.

While Johnny absorbed the news, EJ also admitted that he had enacted a plan to neutralize Kristen, but she had escaped. Johnny asked what EJ would do next. EJ instructed Johnny to stay on alert and vowed he would take care of his sister in due time. He would never let Kristen harm his children again. Johnny remained silent, apparently giving his implicit seal of approval.

Is EJ turning Johnny to the DiMera dark side? Will someone discover Lexie’s location before it’s too late? And should Stephanie say sayonara to Alex? Sound off in the comments.