Beyond the Gates Recap for December 30, 2025: The DMV watched the ball drop while Anita was forced to drop a bomb on her daughters

Here's what went down Tuesday, December 30, 2025 on Beyond the Gates when Vanessa went public with Joey, Shanice's Hoppin' John led to something else, and Leslie wanted to be connec-Ted.

What happened on Beyond the Gates

On Beyond the Gates, Naomi met up with Chelsea and Madison at Uptown, reporting that Jacob would be along any moment. Chelsea decided that the bad events of 2025 didn't exist for that night, and Madison noticed that Chelsea kept checking her phone for texts. Ashley arrived, telling Naomi that she had glammed out to help herself feel festive; Naomi felt bad that, because she and Jacob had gotten their wires crossed regarding plans, Derek would be coming to Uptown as well. Ashley pretended she was okay with it.

Jacob announced that Izaiah wouldn't be coming to the party, likely because he was with Eva, who didn't want to run into Kat. Tomás explained to everyone that he'd been in Puerto Rico at Christmas, visiting family. Derek and Ashley hugged and exchanged pleasantries after he strolled in using his new cane, and, though tipsy, Madison came to understand why Chelsea had pushed so hard for her to mend fences with her mother, Willow – it was because Chelsea had been raised to believe that family pulls together, no matter what.

Dani and Andre were finishing dressing for New Year's Eve – and Nicole had just arrived to celebrate same with Carlton at the country club – when each Dupree daughter got a call from Vernon, asking them to come by the house. The sisters were separately worried over being mysteriously summoned on a holiday, but they dropped what they were doing and headed to the Dupree manse.

Anita hated the idea of ruining New Year's for her daughters, but Vernon reminded his wife that she had already withheld the truth to guarantee they enjoyed Christmas; now, with Anita already scheduled for surgery the next morning, it was necessary that the girls be told about her condition. When Andre entered with Dani, Vernon pulled him aside so that Anita could talk to her children alone...though the patriarch did explain to Andre what was happening.

After Anita apologized for her timing, she went over how she had undergone a series of routine tests – and she was glad she had, since “they” had caught “it” early. Nicole put the pieces together that Anita had cancer, and Anita confirmed it. Both Dani and Nicole were surprised that Anita and Vernon had kept the diagnosis to themselves over Christmas, and they learned that Anita was to receive a port the next day, making it possible for her to receive the drugs necessary for chemotherapy.

Andre asked Vernon how he could help. Vernon knew that Dani got carried away by her emotions at times and asked Andre to let her lean on him. Andre agreed immediately, with Vernon expressing gratitude that his daughter had finally found the partner she deserved. Then, after Andre left to give the Duprees their privacy, Anita revealed that Dani and Nicole would both have to submit to genetic testing, as Anita carried a gene called BRCA, which put them at a higher risk of developing breast cancer themselves; there was a 50/50 chance that the sisters had the gene. This also meant that their children could have the marker, even Martin.

Dani didn't want Anita blaming herself for potentially passing a harmful gene down to her daughters, while Nicole looked at the news as an opportunity for them to take precautions, should she and/or Dani test positive. The siblings promised to get screened, and Dani swore that Anita would beat her cancer. Anita felt that she would, given the support of the entire family...who also had to be told.

Ted and Shanice chatted at the hospital, with Dr. Richardson saying he had no plans for New Year's Eve. It wasn't going to be the same since he could no longer be with Nicole and the kids. Shanice didn't feel like partying either, though she bandied amiably with Ted, telling him, in regard to any harbinger for the new year, “the energy you bring in is the energy you carry.”

Leslie scowled as she watched Ted talking with Shanice and interrupted them. When Leslie seemed to direct questions about Peaches to Ted, Shanice maintained that, as an attending nurse to Peaches, Leslie could address her – but Leslie didn't want to deal with “Neecy.” Speaking with Ted privately, Leslie said that she wanted to discuss the private clinic she was working to set up; Ted rolled his eyes to hear that Leslie had named it for herself. Leslie planned to form a steering committee with Ted heading it, since he was “connec-Ted,” but Richardson didn't think it was a good idea for them to work on the project together. He watched Shanice leaving, which Leslie noticed.

Ted took Leslie to task for spreading the rumor that Vernon was cheating with Sharon when he had it on good authority that his former father-in-law had been taking voice lessons from the singer so he could surprise Anita with a song at Christmas. Leslie didn't believe what she called the “cover story” and barely listened when Ted demanded that she stop telling it to people. Instead, Leslie invited Ted to spend New Year's Eve with her, but he adamantly told her that that wasn't happening.

Orphey Gene's was filling up with revelers, and Ted found himself standing in line behind Shanice, who was about to order Hoppin' John, a dish of pork, rice, and black beans considered good luck in the African-American community. Ted hadn't been aware of the custom and got a plate of the same, sitting down with Shanice and joking that his resolution was to get the bird feeder he'd gifted her with installed. Shanice declared she had changed her mind about it, prompting Ted to encourage her to conquer her fears.

Shanice wanted Ted to open up to her and share his own fears. Ted replied that he had already faced his, having had his worst mistake aired out in public with his loved ones watching. Shanice cracked that getting attacked by birds was worse; at least Ted still had his eyes. Ted revealed that he had finally decided to move out of the hotel he had been living in and get his own place. Not only had his suite not felt like a home, he had stayed there with the hope that Nicole would ask him to come back. Now that they were divorced and she was clearly going on with her life, it was time for Ted to look to his own future.

Noting that Ted sounded sad about his plans, Shanice urged him to give himself credit for growing enough to reach the decision. Going further, Shanice suggested that Ted mark the occasion by throwing himself a housewarming party, and she remarked that she had the perfect gift for him...a bird feeder. The two of them had a laugh over the comment.

Back at the country club, Vanessa felt that Nicole had reacted well to seeing Joey out with her, but Joey had come away with the distinct impression that Nicole hadn't approved. Carlton approached and asked if they'd seen Nicole, whom he was there to meet; Fitzgerald worried that Nicole might have gotten cold feet about their date, but Vanessa reported that Nicole seemed to have disappeared after getting a phone call from Vernon. In fact, the realtor concluded, none of the Duprees were present.

Later, Joey was surprised that the club's members hadn't generally treated him with disdain. Vanessa called the event a bust, since her friends hadn't shown up. Joey was happy to be with Vanessa wherever she happened to be, and, after she was relieved to hear that Donnell and Deanna had enjoyed their ski trip, Joey told Vanessa that he was aware she'd been testing him by insisting they take in New Year's at the club. When Vanessa couldn't say for certain whether or not Joey had passed, Joey confided that he had sworn never to let his guard down with a woman again after the bad ending to his marriage – however, he had fallen in love with the exasperating, irrepressible Vanessa. She kissed him deeply amongst all the guests.

Leslie happened to see Joey and Vanessa's smooch and frowned. But her spirits were lightened by a text from Marcel, who wanted to get together. When a wait staffer was surprised to hear she was leaving before the fireworks, she smirked, “I am the fireworks,” and left.

Nicole had accompanied Dani and Andre back to their home, where the three decided to toast to Anita “kicking cancer's ass.” As Nicole realized in horror that she had inadvertently stood Carlton up, she excused herself to call him, after which Dani decided that Bill needed to be apprised of the situation, given his daughters might carry the BRCA gene. Andre looked unhappy.

At the Dupree home, Anita noted how both their daughters had put on brave faces when confronted with the news of her cancer. Vernon affirmed that that was what their family had been built to do – come together in times of crisis. He vowed that he and the entire clan would get Anita to the other side.

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Uptown's celebration continued, with Naomi deciding what Jacob's, Ashley's, and Derek's New Year's resolutions should be. As Derek attempted to bust a dance move while leaning on his cane, the stage lit up, and R&B star Kenny Lattimore emerged for a performance; this had been the reason Chelsea kept checking her phone, as she had arranged the appearance. The crowd got into Kenny's first song, and the countdown to midnight began with his second: as 12:00 arrived, Ted kissed Shanice, Dani allowed herself to be comforted by Andre, and Nicole cried in a private corner of Dani's house.

Beyond the Gates airs weekdays on CBS and streams on Paramount Plus. The show will be pre-empted tomorrow, Wednesday, December 31 for the Sun Bowl, but will return with new episodes Thursday, January 1, 2026.

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