Days of our Lives Recap, September 5, 2025: Tate lashed out at Sophia about the semi-open adoption

Here’s your Days of our Lives recap for Friday, September 5, 2025 when the Hortons celebrated JJ, Cat asked Chad a favor, and Tate yelled at Sophia.

What happened on Days of our Lives

Chad visited Cat at her apartment, and they made small talk about their lives. Cat thanked Chad for the flowers he had left for her. When Chad called Cat beautiful, she kissed him. “I’m sorry we have to sneak around. It’s just something we got to do right now,” Chad said. “I’m fine with sneaking around as long as it means I get to see you,” Cat countered. Chad asked Cat about her new job, and Cat thanked Chad for his concern. Chad advised Cat not to let EJ compromise her ethics.

“And now that we’ve talked about your brother, I need to talk to you about mine,” Cat said. Chad admitted that the parole board had told him about Mark’s hearing. Chad said he resented that Mark had only served time for the DNA tampering and not the attempted shooting in Paris. Cat told Chad that Mark was full of remorse and that he would not have pulled the trigger. Chad argued that Steve had stopped Mark first.

“All I’m saying is I understand how desperate Mark had to be to even consider following through with Clyde’s wishes. I know, because I was backed into the same corner,” Cat said. Cat told Chad that she did not want to defend Mark’s actions, but she knew that Mark was not a bad person. Cat stressed that Mark was not a danger to anyone now that Clyde was gone.

“I don’t doubt that now. But he went to Paris with the intention of shooting me, without any care that he’d be taking away my kids’ only surviving parent. So I’m sorry that it’s not something I can just get past,” Chad argued. Chad added that if Mark was released, he would be around him because Chad was seeing Cat. “Just so I understand, you will be opposing the parole,” Cat said. Chad said he needed to think about it, and he left.

In the square, JJ passed Gwen, and she wished him a Happy Birthday. JJ said he was surprised Gwen remembered. “You made it pretty clear what a disappointment my family turned out to be,” JJ said. “Probably not as big of a disappointment as I was to all of you,” Gwen countered. JJ agreed, and he walked away.

Jack and Jennifer returned to Salem, and Julie greeted them at the Horton house. Julie asked Jack to pick up the cake from the bakery, so she could talk to Jennifer alone. While Jack was out, Jennifer asked for an update on Chad and Cat. Julie told Jennifer about Chad’s request not to badmouth Cat in front of him anymore.

“Are you telling me that you really think it’s okay that Chad is hanging around that woman?” Jennifer asked. Julie said no, but that she did not want to do anything to push Chad out of her life. “He’s a grown man. He’s entitled to make friends with whomever he chooses,” Julie said. “I guess I just have to accept that too,” Jennifer said. Julie asked Jennifer how she was doing.

“I will never get over what happened to Abigail. But I am starting to find some peace,” Jennifer said. With a grin, Jennifer said she was excited to celebrate something joyful. JJ walked in, and Jennifer rushed to hug him and wish him Happy Birthday. JJ said he needed to go to work, but he would make some time to visit with his parents first.

As Jack walked toward the bakery, he ran into Gwen. “I didn’t realize you were back in town,” Gwen stammered. Jack said he was picking up a cake for JJ’s party. Gwen admitted that JJ had not mentioned a party when she had chatted with him. “I assume I’m not invited,” Gwen said. “Did you want to be?” Jack asked. Gwen said she did not want to be surrounded by people who hated her. “I don’t hate you,” Jack said. Gwen refused to ruin her brother’s celebration.

When Jack asked about Gwen’s emotional health since Dimitri’s betrayal, Gwen admitted she was still hurt. “Which is exactly what the Hortons did to you. So I’m sure that’s why you went after Julie’s family necklace,” Jack said. Gwen attempted to object, but Jack accused Gwen of lashing out against the people still in her life since she could not attack Dimitri.

“So you know what drove me to this behavior, and still you’re standing there looking like you’re so disappointed in me, just like you always have been,” Gwen said. “You expect me to admire what you did?” Jack asked. Gwen shook her head as tears welled in Jack’s eyes. “Do you know what I find so very disappointing, Dad? The fact that you still side with the Hortons instead of your own bloody daughter,” Gwen muttered.

At the pub, Tate served coffee to Brady and Steve. As Tate thanked Steve for his help with the adoption investigation, Brady said he hoped they would be able to review the adoption papers. Sophia walked in and Tate followed her over to the bar.

Brady told Steve that he could not sleep at night because he had been worried about his grandchild. Brady noted that when Sophia had told Tate that the baby had been adopted, Tate had handled the situation well despite his disappointment. “And now, [Tate] doesn’t even know if the family is real,” Brady said. Steve agreed that it was difficult to not know what had happened.

“I just pray that wherever this baby is, that he or she is safe and loved,” Brady said. “That’s all we can do until we get to the truth,” Steve said.

At the bar, Tate asked Sophia, “Did you bring the adoption papers that we discussed?” Sophia handed Tate a copy of the papers. “There’s nothing useful in these. There’s not even the names of the adoptive parents,” Tate argued. Sophia reminded Tate that it was a semi-open adoption. “What the hell does semi-open mean?” Tate asked. Sophia explained that only the lawyer got to know the names of the adoptive parents. Tate argued that semi-open is not what he had agreed to.

“That’s all that they would agree to do. And I don’t blame them, because I don’t think that they want us barging into their kid’s life in a few years just out of nowhere,” Sophia said. Tate argued that Sophia should have waited for parents that would agree to the adoption terms that Tate and Sophia had agreed on.

“If I had gone back home, my mom would have either forced me to keep the baby or started this whole process over again. She would have been back to finding fault with anybody who wanted to adopt our daughter,” Sophia said. “You’re 18. She doesn’t get a say,” Tate said. Sophia argued that she had not wanted to take the chance that Amy would attempt to adopt the child herself. Sophia stressed that the adoptive parents were everything that she and Tate had wanted in an adoptive couple.

“I had to do what was best for the baby,” Sophia said. “That’s not the only thing that you lied to me about,” Tate countered. Tate slammed the fake family photo onto a table. Tate asked Sophia why she had attempted to pass off a stock photo as a picture of their child with the adoptive parents. “I didn’t know what else to do. The couple wouldn’t give me any photos. And I knew how important it was to you to have one,” Sophia said. As Tate yelled at Sophia, Brady intervened.

Brady guided Tate back to his table. “I didn’t mean to upset Sophia,” Tate said. Steve asked what was wrong. Tate explained what had happened, and they went outside to talk in private. “[Sophia] did misspeak when she said him,” Tate said. Brady asked Tate if he was okay. Tate said he was not happy, but he was relieved to have answers.

After Tate returned inside to work, Steve told Brady that he thought the story was too convenient. “Convenient but plausible,” Brady said. Steve and Brady agreed that there was more to the story, but that they would keep Tate out of the loop. Inside the pub, Sophia apologized to Tate. Tate asked for space to process. When Brady returned, he asked to hold on to the adoption papers to run the legality past Belle.

At the hospital, Cat set up EJ’s office. Cat saw a roll of blueprints for a new hospital wing, and she took photos. As Cat returned the blueprint to the box, Gwen walked in. “What are you doing here?” Gwen asked.

At the Horton house, Julie showed Jennifer the returned necklace. “[Gwen] only bought it to hurt me,” Julie said. JJ admitted that he had run into Gwen in the square. Jennifer was surprised that Gwen had been nice to JJ. “I think that she and Doug III are two peas in a pod. Don’t you think?” Jennifer asked. Julie said she believed that Doug’s heart had been in the right place. Jack and Chad arrived.

While Julie and JJ went to return the necklace to the safe, Jack asked Chad if he knew why Gwen had decided to stay in Salem. Chad said he did not know. When Steve arrived, Jack asked Steve if there was something on his mind. Steve said birthdays reminded him of all the birthdays he had missed when he had been away from Salem. “I guess you know all about that too,” Steve said. “I certainly do. But never again,” Jack said.

Everyone sang “Happy Birthday.” Jack toasted to his son, and he wished him happiness. Over cake, Jack and Jennifer told Chad that Mark’s parole board had reached out, and they had provided statements asking the board to deny Mark’s release. “I’m assuming you sent yours in too?” Jennifer said.

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