AMP in the post
Days of Our Lives spoilers reveal EJ DiMera (Dan Feuerriegel) has discovered that Rita Lesley (Maggie Carney) knows Dominic Marino from boarding school.
EJ is furious—the woman he believed was entirely devoted to him harbors her own hidden motives.
Key Takeaways
- EJ discovers Rita’s secret connection to Dominic Marino
- Rita’s loyalty to Stefano threatens EJ’s power
- Dante reveals a troubling clue about Dominic’s childhood
- Dominic’s November 2 arrival could trigger a DiMera showdown
- A shocking theory suggests Rita may be Dominic’s surrogate mother
EJ Is In Danger Of Losing His Power And His Position As Head Of The DiMera Family
An explosive confrontation looms between EJ and Rita, threatening his grip on power.
AMP in the post
Rita has served the DiMera family since Stefano DiMera (Joseph Mascolo) was alive, making her privy to their crimes and criminal connections, including Rafe Hernandez’s (Galen Gering) sinister double, Arnold Feniger (Galen Gering).
She’s assisted Stefan DiMera (Brandon Barash), Gabi Hernandez (Cherie Jimenez), Chad DiMera (Conner Floyd), Kristen DiMera (Stacy Haiduk), and EJ.
She remains deeply committed to the DiMera legacy. Though her loyalty spans decades, Rita debuted on Days of Our Lives in May 2024 as EJ’s sharp-tongued assistant.
Rita’s Been Working For The DiMeras For Years
Rita’s enduring position as Stefano’s trusted associate gives her the confidence to confront EJ directly.
AMP in the post
She proved invaluable when EJ managed Arnold’s return, orchestrating his removal after EJ exploited him.
Between 2025 and 2026, Rita assisted EJ in establishing the Tom Horton Free Clinic, overseeing the secret lab’s construction and coordinating covert operations with Dr. Wilhelm Rolf (Richard Wharton) while handling hospital administrative duties.
Her commanding presence intimidated hospital staff like Kayla Brady (Mary Beth Evans) and Sarah Horton (Linsey Godfrey), who dreaded encountering her stern demeanor and clipboard.
Recently, Rita aided EJ in kidnapping Kristen DiMera (Stacy Haiduk), though Lexie Carver (Nikki Crawford) intervened and freed her.
Rita’s allegiance fractured when water inspector Devlin St. John (John Oliver) investigated the Coriseal matter.
While EJ demanded his death, Rita’s attraction to St. John led her to inject him with CRS17 serum and send him away in a pod instead.
Rita Directly Disobeyed EJ’s Instructions With Devlin St. John
This action directly contradicted EJ’s explicit instructions, as he demanded Devlin’s death rather than his survival on a secluded island.
When EJ discovered Rita’s deception, she deceived him by presenting flu medicine and administering CRS72, causing him to lose all memory of ever encountering Devlin St. John.
This marked the initial betrayal.
Previously, Rita had faithfully executed EJ’s commands without question. However, her behavior has since become considerably more cunning.
She pilfered EJ’s most treasured possession—Stefano’s iconic black Phoenix ring—and dispatched it to his undisclosed sibling, Dominic Marino (Kyle Pryor).
As previously reported, Rita’s decision to steal Stefano’s ring raised questions about a secret DiMera takeover.
This Seems To Align With Stefano’s Final Wishes
This appears to align with Stefano’s final wishes.
Rita maintains she’s honoring Stefano’s legacy and the DiMera family’s interests, yet her loyalty to EJ personally remains questionable, which deeply troubles him.
Rita has been present throughout most of EJ’s existence, and Stefano instilled in EJ an unwavering trust in Rita, which EJ has maintained, now creating significant complications.
Subsequently, Rita was discovered providing hints to Belle Black (Martha Madison) and Chad following Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall) receiving the chess set from Stefano’s estate.
After Marlena Questioned Rita, Rita Disappeared
Over the past week, Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall) pressed Rita for answers about Dominic’s parentage, yet Rita consistently denied having any knowledge.
She maintained these same denials when EJ questioned her on the subject.
Following this exchange, Rita vanished from town. She’s apparently headed to Venice, where she’s collaborating with Dominic as he prepares for his highly anticipated arrival in Salem.
It’s evident that Rita was fully aware Dominic represents the legitimate heir.
Desperate to confirm whether Dominic might be his secret brother, EJ recently enlisted Cat Greene (AnnaLynne McCord) and her ISA expertise to help him uncover the truth about Dominic.
However, Cat and EJ may be playing their own dangerous game of deception, leaving EJ with even more reasons to question whom he can trust.
The Big Confrontation Between EJ And Dante
This week brought a significant confrontation between EJ and Dante Vitali (Franco LoPresti), with two distinct components.
First, EJ cautioned Dante against causing harm to Johnny and Sydney DiMera (Carson Boatman, Sydney Malakeh).
Naturally, Dante dismissed EJ’s warning as the jealous, possessive behavior of a former husband unwilling to accept another man in Sami Brady’s (Alison Sweeney) life.
Second, EJ pressed Dante for information about his boarding school friend Dominic, specifically asking whether Dante had ever encountered Dominic’s parents.
Dante disclosed that Dominic’s parents live in Salem and that a caregiver named R—whose full name escapes him—handled Dominic’s care and school transport.
EJ Asked A Name, Dante Confirmed It
When EJ suggested a name, Dante confirmed it. This deeply troubles EJ: Stefano knew of his son with Marlena but never told him.
EJ feels betrayed by Rita, whom he’d always trusted, and now doubts everyone’s loyalty, especially after Johnny exposed him.
Timing is terrible. EJ grapples with the George O’Halloran (Michael Rose) crisis, though Xander Kiriakis (Paul Telfer) shooting George on Friday might solve it.
If George dies, EJ has a convenient scapegoat for the Coriseal scheme.
But a bigger problem looms: EJ and Rita ran the Gabi Chic counterfeit bag operation. Without Rita’s help, EJ alone bears the criminal liability.
Dominic Marino Debuts Monday, November 2
The mystery will soon be resolved as Dominic Marino arrives in Salem on Monday, November 2, though he may appear in a black mask on the Friday, October 30 episode.
When Dominic arrives, Rita will likely be at his side, prompting EJ to confront her.
However, since Dominic is her priority, EJ won’t get far. Rita will insist this is Stefano’s agenda and where her loyalty lies.
As previous spoilers have suggested, Dominic could even threaten EJ’s position as head of the DiMera family and attempt to take over the mansion.
Some viewers speculate Rita could be Dominic’s surrogate mother.
Rather than Marlena being pregnant with Stefano’s child, he may have had Dr. Rolf harvest her eggs while she was in a coma, create an embryo, and have Rita carry it.
This would explain Rita’s loyalty, similar to how Vivian Alamain (Louise Sorel) maintains a special bond with Philip Kiriakis (John-Paul Lavoisier) after carrying Kate Roberts’s (Lauren Koslow) stolen embryo.
Annemarie’s Take
I’m actually enjoying seeing EJ lose control for a change! He’s so used to being the one pulling everyone’s strings, and now Rita may have been playing him all along. LOL!
I think Dominic’s arrival is going to turn the entire DiMera family upside down, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Rita knows even more than she’s letting on.
The idea that she could have carried Dominic is certainly an interesting twist, especially considering Stefano’s history of manipulating people’s lives.
Personally, I’m looking forward to Dominic giving EJ a real run for his money. It’s about time someone knocked EJ off his throne!
Be sure to catch up on everything happening with DOOL right now. Come back here often for Days of Our Lives spoilers, news, and updates.