Rumors have been circulating on social media that Suzanne Rogers — the Daytime Emmy-Award winning actress who has portrayed Maggie Simmons Horton Horton Kiriakis since 1973 (minus a few months in 2003-04 during which Maggie was presumed dead) — is planning to retire from Days of Our Lives. One headline on Facebook even makes the claim that the veteran star has announced her exit. So, after 52 years in Salem, is the actress really leaving the show?
Here To Stay
The simple and definitive answer is no. A spokesperson for DAYS tells Soap Opera Digest exclusively that these totally speculative rumors “could not be further from the truth, Maggie and Suzanne are integral to the show’s history, present storylines, and now, on the heels of our pick-up, the future! Neither are going anywhere.”
The pick-up the rep is referring to is the news, announced last week, that Peacock has renewed DAYS for two more seasons, which will take the venerable soap through its 63rd season. And fans can expect Maggie to be involved on multiple storyline fronts in the months to come. Maggie will be helping Sarah navigate the collapse of her marriage to Xander and their custody battle for Victoria, and she’ll serve as a critical sounding board for granddaughter Holly, who will be the in the midst of big drama surrounding Sophia’s baby. Not only that, but Maggie will play a role in the tug-of-war for power between the DiMera and Kiriakis clans that is poised to heat up in the near future. And, of course, as one of the most enduring legacy characters on DAYS, Maggie will factor in to the celebratory episodes surrounding the show’s 60th anniversary this November.
Just last year, Rogers — who won her first Daytime Emmy in 1979 as Outstanding Supporting Actress, becoming the first performer from DAYS to take home a statuette — was again honored by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) when she was inducted into its Gold Circle, an honor recognizing individuals who have made significant impact on television for 50 years or more.
It was on August 20, 2023 that Rogers officially marked the 50th anniversary of her DAYS debut. Speaking to Soap Opera Digest about the milestone, Rogers marveled, “I’m kind of shocked that I’ve been on the show for 50 years; I mean, how many people can say that?” She continued, “I guess it’s a testament to the fact that the show wanted to keep me around, and the audience liked the character. And I still love what I’m doing, so it’s all a win.”
The actress admitted to Digest that when she inked her first contract with the show back in 1973, which was for three years, “I thought that was so long. Then, when that contract was coming to an end, about six months down the road, they wanted to sign me to seven years. I thought, ‘Oh, my goodness’. But by that point, I realized how much I loved what I was doing and how nice it would be to have a steady job.”
When asked what the 50-year milestone meant to her, Rogers — who joined DAYS after breaking into show business in New York, dancing with the legendary Radio City Rockettes and appearing in off-Broadway plays — answered, “I guess success. I was from a little town in Virginia and never though I’d leave Virginia. I went to New York. Then I went to California. I’ve been on this wonderful show for 50 years.” She added, “I really am dumbfounded with how my life has gone. I really am. I didn’t go to college. I was in high school, and I went to New York at 17 years old. It showed you don’t have to have a college education. If you have whatever you have expertise in and do it the best you can, it can work.”
In that interview, Rogers made it clear that retiring from the show was not on her radar. “I still talk to a few people from back home and they say, ‘When are you going to retire?’ ” she shared. “I say, ‘Well I’m still enjoying what I’m doing.’ ”
