All signs point to that Dr. Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall) at some juncture had Stefano DiMera’s (the late Joseph Mascolo) baby, but will it ultimately prove to be true, especially when the man in question is Dominic Marino? The last name Marino could also be the clue which its first half contains Marlena, the last half Stefano!

For several weeks, Marlena has been grappling with some vague memories and things she doesn’t seem to want to remember or can’t. We know that when Belle (Martha Madison) and Chad (Conner Floyd) made it to Italy, they found hidden in the replica chess set, just like the one Stefano “gifted” Marlena and John, that a secret compartment revealed a photo of Stefano holding a young boy with the picture dated on the back “1992.”

Now, in all-new episodes of Days of our Lives streaming next week on Peacock, the official promo ends with quite the shock for Marlena. First, Steve (Stephen Nichols) pays her a visit with an update that they were able to track down the birth certificate of Dominic Marino. As she reads the certificate, Marlena says out loud that Stefano is listed as the father, but stops dead in her tracks when she reads the mother’s name, and the promo goes to black!

Courtesy/Peacock

Will Marlena learn she has another child out there, who seemingly was in cahoots with Dante Vitali (Franco LoPresti) in Monte Carlo? Or, is this all one last evil plan from the dead from Stefano to make Marlena believe she is the biological mother of his child? Stay tuned.

Elsewhere in Salem, Philip (John-Paul Lavoisier) races home to the Kiriakis mansion ready to save it, and the family business. after gambling it all in Monte Carlo. Sadly, when he walks in to the family home, it’s completely empty!

In addition, the machinations of Joy Wesley (AlexAnn Hopkins) continue as she concocts another scheme when she researches, “nerve conduction studies.” Could it be she is going to fake her paralysis? Then, Mason (Brandon Butler) and Holly (Ashley Puzemis) finally have s showdown, where she asks, “Do you think I’m to blame for Sophia’s death?” It appears Mason believes she had a lot to do with it.

Now below, check out additional Days of our Lives spoilers for the week of September 21-15.

Monday, September 21

Xander (Paul Telfer) and Brady (Eric Martsolf) decide to join forces as Sarah (Linsey Godfrey) finds herself in legal trouble.

Tuesday, September 22

Xander and Philip face a very disapproving Maggie (Suzanne Rogers), while Black Patch partners, Brady and Steve , continue their investigation into Dominic Marino.

Wednesday, September 23

Belle and Marlena share their concerns with Sydney (Sydney Malakeh), but is it about Dante, or what Belle and Chad uncovered in Italy?

Thursday, September 24

EJ (Dan Feuerriegel) questions Cat’s (AnnaLynne Cipriani) loyalty. Will these two be able to clarify their relationship with one another once and for all? Meanwhile, Leo (Greg Rikaart) and Javi (Jacob Martinez) test the waters to see if there is a chance at ever getting back together.

Friday, September 25

Chad welcomes Kate (Lauren Koslow) to The Spectator. How will Chad and Kate do working side by side? Marlena is disturbed by a harrowing dream. Steve gets unsettling news from Bo and Hope, while Sarah and Kayla (Mary Beth Evans) suspect something is amiss.

Check out the official DAYS promo, “Cold and Frank” below.

Now weigh-in: Did Marlena have Stefano’s son? Do you think it’s a set up … or the truth? If so, who do you hope is revealed to be Dominic Marino? Let us know your thoughts via the comment section below.

During last night’s 78th annual Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony, as it does every year, the television academy paid tribute to those in the industry that they’ve lost over the last year; since the previous Emmys held each year in September.

Starting with an emotional tribute to the late Catherine O’Hara by three of her co-stars, Schitt’s Creek’s Annie Murphy and Dan Levy and Home Alone’s Macaulay Culkin, the segment then dovetailed into Noah Kahan performing “Bridge over Troubled Water” as the faces and the names of those being remembered were shown on the screen.

Daytime soap alums, who either stayed in the genre for the majority of their career, or went on to primetime success as well, were honored including: Anthony Geary (Luke, GH), Hayden Panettiere (Sarah, OLTL, Lizzie, GL, Juliette, Nashville), James Van Der Beek, (Dawson, Dawson’s Creek, and Stephen, ATWT), Gil Gerard (Alan, The Doctors), June Lockhart (Mariah, GH), Patricia Crowley (Mary, Port Charles and GH), Randolph Mantooth (Clay/Alex, Loving and The City, and Richard, GH) and Jon Cypher (Alex, ATWT and Arthur, Santa Barbara).

Photo: TVAcademy

THOSE HONORED AND THOSE WHO WERE NOT

However, in a glaring omission, the producers of the In Memoriam failed to include Days of our Lives beloved star, Patrick Muldoon who played the OG Austin Reed and also Richard Hart on Melrose Place. Muldoon passed away in April of this year at 57.

After Kahan concluded his performance, a special tribute to Rob Reiner began with Jamie Lee Curtis taking to the stage to share some warm words about her late friend.

In a ironic and sad twist, Curtis shared ,“Last week, Robbie won an Emmy for guest actor in a comedy series for his beautiful work on The Bear, and he now holds the record of 48 years for the longest gap between acting Emmys, which was previously held by his father Carl Reiner, at 37 years.”

Reiner, who along with his wife, Michele Reiner were killed by their son, Nick Reiner, is currently awaiting a decision if he will stand trial. Prosecutors on Tuesday, shared they will not seek the death penalty if he is convicted at trial, but instead life in prison. Curtis said of Rob, “He was generous and kind and funny as hell, and a friend to all. We all miss Rob and Michele and all those we lost this year.” The Emmys then faded to black and went to commercial break.

So, were you happy to see those who you know from their work in soap operas included in the 2026 In Memoriam tribute at the Primetime Emmys? Share your thoughts in the comment section. But first, in case you missed it, you can watch it below.

Days of our Lives fans were introduced on the Monday, September 14 episode to Dante Vitali in the form of actor Franco LoPresti, and reintroduced to Sydney DiMera as now played by Sydney Malakeh. 

The DAYS writers connected the story by having them as major participants in a high stakes poker game in Monte Carlo where Philip (John-Paul Lavoisier) with Gabi (Cherie Jimenez) by his side, are trying to win enough money to save Titan Industries and the Kiriakis legacy.

When we first meet Sydney she is in front of a mirror putting on her lipstick as she puts the finishing touches on her look for the evening, when she receives a call from her grandmother, Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall). 

Photo: CordayProductions

POKER FACE

Later, Sydney shows up at the poker game with Dante Vitali, who introduces himself as Sami Brady’s fiancé. Philip explains that he has his own connections to Sami and would prefer his presence in the game be kept under wraps. Dante tells Philip he does not keep secrets from Sami.

Gabi asked Dante about his connection to Ava Vitali, to which Dante shared that although they shared the same last name, they were not close. Gabi says that’s good because Ava is “bonkers.” Dante did not appreciate Gabi disparaging Ava in that manner.

Philip is shocked that Sydney is such a poker player. Then we get the backstory on how she learned a lot from her grandfather, Roman Brady, and when she went to school, she played poker to beat the mean girls and realized she was quite good at it.

In the end, after throwing one guy out named “Otto”, who was “cheating” in the game, Dante offered two additional hands to Philip with a new deck. Dante asks,“Winner take all?” Philip says, “Works for me.” Eventually, Philip won the hand, but alone with Gabi told her he did not win enough to save Titan.

Courtesy/Peacock

DID MARLENA GIVE BIRTH TO STEFANO’S SON?

As all this is going down, in Salem, Marlena is wistful worried that there is something she has blocked out in her memories from her time being kidnapped by Stefano. She tells this to a concerned Julie (Susan Seaforth Hayes).

Meanwhile, Belle (Martha Madison), Chad (Conner Floyd) and EJ (Dan Feuerriegel) have all made it to Italy, and find hidden in a replicate chess set, just like Stefano willed to John and Marlena, a photo of Stefano with a young boy dated 1992 with whom they believe is “Dominic Marino.”

At the end of the episode, Dante shows up to a room with the mystery person wearing Stefano’s ring. He assures the person that no matter how many chips Philip won, he would not be able to save Titan and the Kiriakis mansion. Then, Dante utters, “Well, played, Dom.”

So, what’s going on here? Is Dante a bad guy? Is Sydney a schemer? Did Marlena have Stefano’s son, named Dominic Marino, but blocked the whole thing out for decades? And, what were your first impressions of the highly-anticipated debuts of Franco LoPresti and Sydney Malakeh? Weigh-in via the comment section. But first, in case you missed, check out this week’s promo for Days of our Lives below.

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