Days of our Lives Recap June 23: Joy Sends Alex Into a Panic

On the Tuesday, June 23, 2026, episode of Days of our Lives, Brady and Steve asked Johnny for help with a case, Sarah asked Xander for a favor, and Joy called Alex in a panic from the hospital.

A Public Health Crisis

Steve and Brady had a chat with Johnny | Image: Peacock

When Xander stopped by Johnny and Chanel’s apartment to deliver flowers, Johnny noted that although he had forgiven Xander for the plagiarism scam, Chanel had not. Xander told Johnny that he was sorry to hear that Chanel was ill, but that she was one of the strongest people he knew and would fight it. “I sometimes forget that you have a heart,” Johnny said.

At the pub, Steve officially welcomed Brady to Black Patch. Brady told Steve about Sarah’s case. Steve agreed to look into Liam’s money source while Brady and Sarah questioned Liam in person. Steve agreed that the DiMera Pharmaceuticals connection was concerning.

After breakfast, Steve and Brady visited Johnny at his apartment. Brady explained the case. Steve stressed that it was a possible health crisis and they did not have time to work around EJ. Johnny admitted that he knew there had been a shady side to his family’s company, but that he had never witnessed anything illegal at DiMera since he had started working there.

Brady explained that they needed to determine if there were any more of the tainted drugs circulating. Johnny noted that if EJ had done something wrong, he would not admit it to Johnny. Brady asked Johnny to look into the records. Steve argued that the records could exonerate EJ and the company.

At the hospital, Kayla told Sarah that she believed she had followed proper protocol with Destiny and had been happy to say as much to the team reviewing Destiny’s case. Sarah admitted that it helped her accept that she had acted properly when a team of experts agreed. Sarah told Kayla that she hoped Destiny’s toxicology would explain why she had died, because she could not move on until the mystery had been solved.

Sarah told Kayla that she had learned about a cluster of unexplained deaths when Destiny’s sister had died that had all had non-lethal amounts of Coriseal in their blood. When Sarah told Kayla that DiMera pharmaceuticals manufactured a generic form of the drug, Kayla agreed that it likely was not a coincidence.

A Simple Favor

Sarah asked Xander for a favor | Image: Peacock

At Titan, Sarah told Xander that she believed that DiMera Pharmaceuticals could be responsible for the death of her patient. “That is quite an accusation,” Xander said. When Sarah mentioned the merger, a defensive Xander asked Sarah if she was blaming him. Sarah explained that the drugs had been produced under EJ’s reign, and she asked if Titan had a copy of the records from the pharmaceuticals division leftover from the merger. Xander said everything had been deleted.

When Sarah raised an eyebrow, Xander admitted that he had kept copies. Sarah told Xander what information she needed, so Xander agreed to send her the information. After a moment, Xander warned Sarah that his methods were not legal, and that they could not leave a digital trail. Xander advised Sarah not to confront EJ directly. Xander admitted that he still cared and worried about Sarah, and not just because of Victoria. Sarah told Xander not to worry.

Sarah met up with Brady at the cafe in the square, where he told her about his meeting with Johnny. Sarah told Brady that she had asked Xander for help. Brady reminded Sarah that Xander could not be trusted not to exploit whatever information he gathered. Sarah agreed, but she noted that Xander had been with her when Destiny had died. Sarah told Brady that Xander would want to help and he was their best shot at getting the information.

Xander called a contact and asked them to check whether there was any word on the street about trouble with Coriseal for a specific date. Xander also asked the person to find the DiMera Coriseal files in storage. At Johnny’s apartment, he went into the DiMera company database on his laptop. The database said that there were no available files on Corisal.

A Panicked Call

Stephanie and her mother had a heart to heart about her therapy | Image: Peacock

Alex was fixing the bullet hole in the wall when Stephanie joined him in the living room. Stephanie thanked Alex for having patched up the reminder of what she had done. Alex assured Stephanie that she would be able to move past her traumas. Joy called Alex to tell him that she was at the hospital with Kelsey. Before Joy could explain the situation, Alex said he was on his way.

When Alex arrived at the hospital, Joy explained that Kelsey had gotten her vaccine shots and was upset. “That’s why you called me over here?” Alex said. Joy said she would have explained the situation if Alex had not hung up the phone so quickly. Joy assured Alex that Kelsey was okay, but that her insurance had refused to cover Kelsey’s doctor visit. Alex agreed to pay any medical bills for Kelsey until she could be added to his insurance. Joy thanked Alex and admitted that Alex was a good father, despite the stress of the situation.

Alex noted that he and Stephanie would work through it. Joy said she hoped they would. Joy added that she wished she could be more comfortable having Stephanie around Kelsey, but she was not ready. Alex said he understood. Alex told Joy that he would always be there for her and Kelsey.

In the Dark

Joy had an awkward run-in with Steve and Kayla | Image: JPI

Kayla arrived at Stephanie’s apartment with coffee and croissants. Stephanie told Kayla about Kelsey. Kayla called the hospital and confirmed that Kelsey was fine. Over breakfast, Kayla asked Stephanie to talk about her session with Marlena. Stephanie reluctantly told Kayla about her feelings of abandonment from childhood and that the session had helped her understand her own actions over the years. Stephanie stressed that she had the best parents, and they were not the problem.

When Alex returned home, he told Stephanie that Joy had needed his help with insurance. Stephanie noted that she had realized that Alex would be spending a lot of time with Kelsey and Joy, and that she had made it impossible to be a part of that because of what she had done. Stephanie lamented that she would not be there for all the fun moments with Kelsey and Alex. Alex told Stephanie that he wanted to take things one day at a time.

Steve met up with Kayla at the pub to debrief her on Sarah and Brady’s case. Joy walked in with Kelsey. Kayla asked Joy if she was okay, and Joy said she was fine. Kayla reiterated that Stephanie was sorry about the incident. “No sorrier than I am,” Joy said. As Steve started to make a plea for Stephanie, Joy announced that she needed to go upstairs and walked away.

Is Joy trying to manipulate Alex? Do you think EJ is aware of DiMera Phamaceutical problems? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.