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On the Days of our Lives, Friday, January 16, 2026, episode, Leo offered Gwen a deal, Theo had an unexpected dream, Chanel and Johnny communicated, and Javi decided to leave Salem.
What happened on Days of our Lives
In the Hernandez home, Gabi grabbed Leo’s mail from Javi. She insisted on taking it to the Salem Inn so Javi would not have to go. “I love you. I appreciate you looking out for me,” Javi said. “I love you too. And we’re family. That’s what we do,” Gabi said. A family member called Javi, and she told Javi that his father required quadruple bypass surgery. Javi announced that he needed to leave for Texas.
When Gabi asked when Javi expected to return, he said, “Considering what’s been going on in Salem. I don’t know. Maybe never.” Gabi reminded Javi that he had a life in Salem, and he would return. “I can’t put my life on hold until Leo figures things out,” Javi said. Gabi said she understood. “Your father will get better soon. And when he does, you’ll come back to us,” Gabi said as she hugged her cousin goodbye.
In the pub, Cat ate breakfast with her brother, Mark. Cat suggested that Mark take a day off with her, but he insisted that he could not take any time off, even if EJ was out of town. “We’re getting so close to a big breakthrough in our research,” Mark said. Mark refused to say more. Cat asked Mark to look for a binder that she needed to scan for EJ. Mark refused to give Cat the code, but he agreed to take her into the lab to look around.
Johnny stopped by the hospital to see Theo, and he ran into Rafe. Rafe confessed that he was worried about Johnny rejoining the DiMera family. Johnny stressed that EJ was not a part of the business, and joked that everyone, including the FBI was likely investigating EJ.
When Rafe said nothing, Johnny said, “I will take that as a confirmation that you are.” Rafe shrugged. “What I can tell you, is if I felt that you or your siblings were in any danger, I would let you know,” Rafe said. “So this doesn’t have anything to do with the delivery that my dad and Gwen were whispering about?” Johnny asked. Confused, Rafe asked about the delivery. Johnny told Rafe about the video Leo had sent him to clean up the audio. Rafe asked for a copy of the video.
In Theo’s hospital room, Chanel shared pictures of Trey. Paulina returned with coffee, and she insisted on texting Abe to ask him to bring food for Chanel. Chanel made a face, then she ran out of the room. When Chanel returned, she said she had been queasy. Theo advised Chanel to see a doctor as a precaution. Chanel told Theo about her high-risk pregnancy, and he promised to keep quiet.
While Paulina stepped out to take a phone call, Chanel told Theo that she would gladly be sick the full nine months if it meant she would have a healthy baby. Johnny walked in, and Chanel said goodbye and left. Theo told Johnny that he had heard about the pregnancy. “Was there a little tension between you and Chanel?” Theo asked. Johnny admitted there was tension, but he changed the subject to Theo’s health. Theo thanked Johnny for handling the company while he was in recovery.
In the hallway, Paulina called out to Chanel as she was leaving. Chanel said she felt ill and wanted to head home. As Paulina stepped away to take a call, Chanel saw Johnny exiting Theo’s room. Johnny asked about Chanel’s morning sickness. “I hate what’s going on between us,” Johnny said. “So do I,” Chanel said. Johnny suggested that until they knew whether the pregnancy was viable, they put aside their differences and support one another through it.
“I agree, Johnny, but knowing that you don’t want this baby is hurtful to me,” Chanel said. “I never said I don’t want this baby. I said that I’m scared of losing you. Of course, I want this baby as long as you and the baby are healthy,” Johnny countered. Chanel argued that the odds were in their favor. Chanel asked Johnny to have faith that she and the baby would be healthy. Johnny agreed, and he apologized for having upset Chanel.
“I know your heart is always in the right place,” Chanel said. Johnny offered to take Chanel home and spend time pampering her. When Chanel asked about work, Johnny stressed that he would always make time for his family because they came first.
In Theo’s hospital room, he smiled serenely as he clutched the knitted cactus that Gabi had given to him. Theo dreamed of spending trivia night with Gabi and asking to kiss her when Philip failed to show up. Theo woke up with a start. Paulina asked Theo if he was okay. “Just a weird dream,” Theo said. Abe arrived with baked goods, and the three talked about Chanel’s pregnancy and family. Theo admitted that he had enjoyed seeing his DiMera family work together in the crypt. “I just want you to be happy, son,” Abe said.
When Johnny and Chanel got home, she confirmed that Trey was still at his music class with his babysitter. Johnny was about to rub Chanel’s feet when Javi knocked on the door. Javi explained that he was headed back to Texas for his father’s surgery, and he asked if he could say goodbye to Trey. Chanel told Javi that Trey was out with the sitter.
“There is no way that we are letting you leave town without seeing your godson,” Chanel said. Javi noted that he was not sure when he would return to Salem and told Johnny and Chanel that they were welcome to choose another godfather. “We chose you,” Johnny said. “I can’t ask you to put off the christening until I get back,” Javi said. Johnny offered to hold a christening before Javi’s flight. Chanel asked Javi if he was comfortable still sharing godparent responsibilities with Leo. “Whatever issues Leo and I are having, it doesn’t change how we both feel about Trey,” Javi said. “It would mean the world to us,” Johnny said.
When Mark arrived at the hospital with Cat, they ran into Rafe by the nurses’ station. Rafe said he wanted to ask Mark some questions about the DiMera kidnappings. “You can’t come here and harass the staff, Agent Hernandez,” Cat said. Cat agreed to let Rafe question Mark this time, but she told Rafe to pass along all future inquiries for the hospital through her.
When Mark and Cat arrived at the lab entrance, Cat thanked him again for his help with the binder. While Mark punched in the key code, Cat used her phone to record him. Mark’s phone beeped with an urgent matter before he finished. Mark told Cat he would have to let her into the lab later. Cat called Rafe and told him that she had part of the lab code. Rafe told Cat about EJ’s conversation with Gwen about a delivery.
A hungover Leo rang the doorbell to the DiMera mansion and Gwen answered the door. Leo interrogated Gwen about the hospital and the delivery the night of the gala. Leo argued that Gwen’s only mistake after months of careful coordination with EJ had been Dimitri’s return.
“I know what you’ve been up to. We both do. The question is, does EJ know?” Leo asked. Leo argued that EJ would be furious to learn that Gwen had endangered the cash flow for their project with an effort to exact revenge on Leo. “The only regret I have is befriending you and taking part in this sham of a lavender marriage,” Gwen said. Leo offered to hold back his story if Gwen agreed to make Dimitri disappear again.
“If he’s gone, he can’t divorce you. You get to keep his money. Javi and I get our happily ever after. It’s a win-win,” Leo said. Gwen told Leo that he was pathetic for wanting to ship off his problem instead of making a choice. “There is no choice. Javi is the man I love,” Leo said. “But Dimitri is the man that you lust for. And you can’t have them both, can you?” Gwen countered. Leo told Gwen that his love life was not her business. Upset, Leo added that he hated Gwen, but he still had a soft spot for her because of their past friendship.
“And yes, I know I messed up. I now make your skin crawl and there’s no going back. Some damage is just plain irreparable,” Leo said. “I resent you bitterly. But paradoxically, I also have this persistently annoying soft spot for you too,” Gwen admitted. Gwen changed the subject back to Leo’s choice.
Gwen argued that Leo wanted to let the marriage certificate period expire so that Javi would dump him and make the decision for Leo. “If you want Dimitri to disappear, you’re going to have to do it yourself,” Gwen said. Leo said he was over his soft spot for Gwen. “You just want to see me suffer,” Leo said. Gwen smiled. “I thought you were more clever than this, Gwennie. Sure, you managed to bring Dimitri back to Salem just in time to destroy my life. But in doing so, you more than likely destroyed yours, too,” Leo said.
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When Rafe returned home, he overheard Gabi buying Javi’s plane ticket on the phone. “Javi’s leaving town, maybe for good. And it’s all Leo Stark’s fault,” Gabi told Rafe. Gabi explained that Javi had chosen the one-way ticket because of Leo. “It’s a complicated situation. And I think it’s best if we give Javi and Leo space to figure it out,” Rafe said. “Javi deserves so much better than Leo. And for his sake, I hope he finds it,” Gabi said.
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