In today’s Days of our Lives recap for June 15, 2026, Johnny and Chanel have an honest talk, as do Julie and Marlena, EJ and Cat put passion on hold, and the fallout from dirty DiMera dealings continues.
Chanel issues a veto
As Johnny happily talked about second honeymoon plans, Chanel was visibly distracted. She eventually apologized and told Johnny she couldn’t plan for the future when all she could think about was the here and now. Johnny also apologized, but Chanel assured him of how kind and thoughtful he had been in trying to distract her and make her feel better. The couple prepared to take their present focus to the bedroom, but first Chanel wanted to discuss something she was certain had been on both their minds: the ways her body might change during and after treatment.
Johnny admitted the issue had been on his mind, but he had decided only to talk about it when Chanel was ready. He took his wife’s hands and stressed all of the things he loved about her, including Chanel’s courage, her humor, her good heart, and the way she could light up a room. Nothing would ever change the way he felt. “Even if I lose my hair and my breasts?” Chanel tearfully asked. Johnny stressed he would love her more. The two shared another tender kiss, but before it could proceed further, they were interrupted by a forceful knock at the door.
Upon Johnny opening the door, Paulina rushed inside and chastised both Chanel and him for not responding to her calls and texts. Both explained they had their phones off, and Johnny noted he’d also missed a call from Xander. Paulina immediately pressed Johnny to get in touch with his father and to persuade EJ to use the miracle drug on Chanel. After Johnny absorbed what Paulina had said and learned EJ had rejected her overture, he promptly agreed – until Chanel disrupted the conversation with an emphatic “NO.”
While Chanel appreciated that her mom’s and her husband’s hearts were in the right place, she didn’t appreciate them trying to make decisions about her treatment without consulting her first. She let them know in no uncertain terms that she wouldn’t take EJ’s drug. Number one: she’d be a “guinea pig” for something untested and unproven, when she already had perfectly valid treatment options. She wouldn’t endanger her baby’s well-being. And number two: she didn’t want to ever be “indebted” to EJ again.
Paulina accepted Chanel’s decision and said she was sorry for overstepping. Chanel assured her mom it was fine and that she was fine. When Paulina left, though, Chanel worried she had hurt Paulina’s feelings. It was Johnny’s turn to reassure her.
Cat plays offense and defense
At the DiMera mansion, EJ and Cat were in the midst of a hot-and-heavy make-out session when something on the TV caught their eyes: namely, their exes in their own make-out session. Both Cat and EJ stared wide-eyed at the kiss cam featuring Chad and Belle, and both tried to play it off after the fact. EJ was surprised but okay with the development, and Cat insisted seeing Chad hadn’t affected her. To prove their respective points, the boss and his assistant went in for another kiss.
As the encounter got more heated, EJ suggested they move their activities to the bedroom, but Cat pulled back. She believed things were moving too fast, especially since they’d just seen their exes in a passionate clinch. Besides, the situation was also complicated by their professional relationship. EJ agreed to follow Cat’s lead and slow things down, but he did ask her to stay for dinner. Cat declined and claimed she had planned a family dinner.
EJ wished Cat good night and was preoccupied by his copy of Wuthering Heights after she departed. Cat, meanwhile, stepped outside and sent a text to Mark inviting him to dinner. Later, at Small Bar, Cat met with her brother, who testily explained that Aaron and Felicity were busy with other plans. Observing her brother’s drinking and his temperament, Cat asked if something had gone wrong with EJ’s drug. Mark insisted it hadn’t, but when Cat pressed him about EJ’s newfound refusal to use the drug on their mother, Mark backed up EJ.
Cat challenged Mark on why he had given up on their mother. Mark defensively responded that he’d do anything for his family. EJ was right, though. The drug had to go through FDA approval first, even if that meant approval would come too late for their mom. Cat seemed unconvinced that her brother wasn’t holding something back.
Marlena’s words of wisdom
At Marlena’s penthouse, Julie waxed poetic about the book she had been reading to a distracted Marlena. Julie lightly noted that her friend seemed more interested in the baseball game than her conversation. Marlena confessed watching the game made her feel closer to John. The women received quite the surprise when Chad and Belle suddenly popped up on the screen…and even more of a surprise when the duo kissed for the kiss cam. Julie relayed how happy it made her that Chad was finding peace and happiness in the wake of Abigail’s death…and doing it away from Cat.
Marlena defended Cat but admitted that it was nice to see Belle moving on from EJ, especially with a good man like Chad. The friends agreed Chad and Belle’s growing closeness was a wonderful development. The talk of new relationships prompted Marlena to ask Julie about Foster. Julie opened up about how she’d had a beautiful time with Foster, but after the date, she couldn’t help but feel guilty that she had betrayed Doug’s memory. Marlena urged Julie not to ever think that way because Doug, more than anyone, would want Julie to be happy.
Julie confided that she hadn’t felt so alone when she’d been with Foster. She pondered if Marlena had considered finding someone else. Marlena couldn’t ever picture herself with anyone after John, but Julie reminded her she’d felt the same way. She wanted the sense of connection she’d felt with Foster for Marlena. On cue, Julie received a call from Foster summoning her to the bookstore.
Later, in Horton Town Square, Julie was puzzled as to the maintenance issue that had apparently compelled Foster to contact her. Marlena teased that Foster had likely wanted an excuse to see Julie again. The light mood somewhat darkened when EJ made an appearance. Julie quickly made her exit, while EJ roped Marlena into a brief conversation.
EJ admitted he’d seen Chad and Belle at the Cubs game and that he’d been in the middle of a kiss with Cat when he’d spotted his brother and ex kissing. Marlena surmised that EJ was still exploring his prior connection with Cat. EJ didn’t argue the point; he took the kiss between Chad and Belle as a sign, while stressing he wasn’t turning into his mother with her signs and omens. If Belle and Chad were moving forward, he felt free to do the same with Cat. When the topic of the chess set was broached, though, Marlena shut down any talk of Stefano or his gifts from beyond the grave.
A Homer…or a Checkmate?
In the park, Chad and Belle listened as Thomas and Charlotte raved about the good time they’d had at the game, the highlights of which were Thomas catching his foul ball and Chad’s appearance on the big screen. Thomas enthusiastically thanked Belle for giving him pointers on catching the ball. Belle attributed it all to her dad. Chad sent the kids off to enjoy the fair with their friend and the friend’s parents.
Once they were alone, Chad and Belle shared a laugh about their very public kiss. Both agreed that they didn’t care who had seen them, and neither regretted the kiss. As they sat on the bench, Belle shared a humorous story about the time she’d hidden a duck she’d gotten at the fair from Marlena, who had been quite unsettled when she’d discovered the critter in the laundry. Chad couldn’t see the normally composed Marlena ever getting rattled. In fact, the only time he’d seen her out of sorts was at the will reading when she’d been bequeathed the chess set.
Belle conveyed her desire to get to the bottom of the mystery of the chess set. She told Chad about the missing pawn, and he agreed it likely meant something. Marlena and Brady both wanted to drop it, but Belle couldn’t shake the feeling that Stefano had left her mom a message…one that could hurt or endanger her. Since Chad knew how his father’s mind worked, he offered to help Belle solve the mystery. She was grateful for the assist.
With their attention turned back to each other, Chad made another suggestion: to give his date a “proper kiss.” Belle willingly obliged.
Coming up on Days of our Lives
During tomorrow’s DAYS, Stephanie’s ill-timed target practice continues to have ramifications. Stephanie finds herself filled with regret, while Alex seeks the wise guidance of his mother-in-law. The other Salem matriarchs aren’t in a giving mood, though, as the claws threaten to come out between Kate and Marlena.
Meanwhile, the teens prep for their trip to the isolated Horton cabin. What could possibly go wrong?
Edited by Hope Campbell