Days of Our Lives Comings & Goings: Suzanne Rogers Returns as Maggie Following Cancer Battle
Days of Our Lives legend Suzanne Rogers is back in action as Maggie Kiriakis! The actress had been absent from the screen for several months after taking a medical leave of absence following a diagnosis of Stage II colorectal cancer.
Suzanne Rogers’ Maggie Returns to Salem
Last October, the Daytime Emmy-winning Rogers opened up about her diagnosis and treatment for cancer, sharing with TV Insider that she began her medical leave in June 2025 to undergo a six-week course of radiation and chemotherapy.
The actress also revealed that she had been inspired to speak publicly about her medical battle in part because rumors had circulated online during the summer of 2025 that she was retiring from acting and leaving the show. At the time, a DAYS rep had vehemently shot down those rumors, telling Soap Opera Digest exclusively that such talk “could not be further from the truth, Maggie and Suzanne are integral to the show’s history, present storylines [and] future! Neither are going anywhere.”
But because she would be gone from the show for a considerable amount of time while receiving cancer treatment, Rogers explained, she wanted to get the word out about why Maggie would be off the show. “At least the audience will know why,” she noted.
DAYS shoots many months in advance, so Maggie’s temporary absence from Salem did not begin until April 2026, when the character headed out of town to visit her daughter Melissa.
Rogers returned to work in November 2025, and on Monday, August 31, 2026, fans were treated to the sight of Maggie for the first time in months as Rogers’ first episode aired. She told TV Insider on the eve of her comeback to the studio that she was feeling up to working. “It’s not 100% yet, but I feel better. Today I feel really good, and that’s happening more and more than the other way around, so I’m really happy about that.”
In the episode featuring Maggie’s return, Rogers shared scenes with John-Paul Lavoisier (Philip Kiriakis), who plays the son of Maggie’s late husband, Victor Kiriakis (John Aniston), as the Kiriakis family prepared to vacate the mansion they’ve called home for decades after EJ DiMera (Dan Feuerriegel) demanded repayment on a loan.
Rogers has played Maggie Simmons Horton Horton Kiriakis since 1973 (with a short break that spanned 2003-04, during which Maggie was presumed dead). She received the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in 1979, and was also honored with a Gold Circle honor at the Daytime Emmys in 2024. That honor was in recognition of her 50 years of contributions to the television industry.
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