Things in Salem haven’t been exactly calm lately on Days of our Lives. Stephanie suffered PTSD from her ordeal, taking it out on Alex. Leo managed to stay true to himself, despite Dimitri’s admonishment, and worked through his thoughts and feelings with Marlena. And Javi came back, not planning to make anything easier for Leo, as Johnny braced himself for the lawsuit he’ll need to navigate at DiMera. Everyone thinks they have some semblance of control until they don’t, and that makes the show’s latest cast quiz almost perfectly timed.
Key Takeaways
- The show asked fans and cast who really runs Salem, sparking mixed answers.
- Cast responses ranged from Marlena and Paulina to EJ and even Stefano “from the grave.”
- Several stars argued that the women are the true power behind Salem.
- Others suggested no one is fully in control, despite everyone trying.
- Fans were split, most backing Marlena, EJ, or the DiMeras overall.
The Cast Has Opinions… and They’re Not Subtle
The show shared a video on its Instagram page with the caption, “In Salem, power is everything. But who is actually running things? Do you agree with these answers?” What followed wasn’t exactly a unified answer.
Greg Rikaart (Leo) kicked things off with “Not Chadwick,” before later admitting it’s “a horse race” between Paulina (Jackée Harry) and Marlena (Deidre Hall). Susan Seaforth Hayes (Julie) first threw out “Ken Corday,” the executive producer, then circled back with “when push comes to shove, Marlena.”
Linsey Godfrey (Sarah) cut through the noise with “I think the boys think they do, but it’s definitely the women,” while Sal Stowers (Lani) went full confidence mode with “I… actually run Salem.”
Fans Pick Sides… and It Gets Personal Fast
Other stars leaned into chaos, with Conner Floyd (Chad) naming “the ghost of Stefano DiMera,” Paul Telfer (Xander) simply saying “Girls,” and Harry arguing, “EJ DiMera runs Salem… he lies… he’s got money.” Meanwhile, James Reynolds (Abe) shrugged it all off with, “Everyone wants to run Salem, but nobody does.” Honestly, that might be the most accurate answer of the bunch.
The comment section jumped at the concept as one fan wrote, “Marlena is the queen!” while another countered, “EJ definitely runs Salem.” A different viewer split the difference with, “Toss up between EJ and Marlena!” which feels like the safest possible answer in a town like this.
Others leaned into the bigger picture. One follower pointed out, “The Villains run Salem creating chaos,” while another added, “Stefano runs it from the grave,” which…given Salem history, isn’t even dramatic. It’s just Tuesday.
And then there were the people who circled back to the women. “The women do,” one fan wrote, while another said, “Marlena, Julie, and Paulina—100%!!” That throughline kept popping up, the idea that even when the men think they’re steering things, the real control sits somewhere else entirely. Which, after this week? Hard to argue with.
