Days of Our Lives brings Maggie back, and Suzanne Rogers had a reason to be away

If you've been missing Suzanne Rogers and her iconic turn as Maggie Kiriakis on Days of Our Lives, brace yourself—she's back in Salem after several months' absence. And given everything that's gone on in the actress' real life, this return isn't just big for the show, but genuinely noteworthy for soap fans who follow the stars behind the drama.

Suzanne Rogers has played Maggie for over five decades, starting on 20 August 1973.

What happened to Maggie?

Quick catch-up: Maggie left the canvas in April—her last episode saw her heading out of town to visit her daughter Melissa. So if you've noticed a Maggie-shaped hole in the show, that's why. She's slated to return this week, and spoiler hounds will be interested to know we've got Susan Seaforth Hayes' Julie making contact with her on Tuesday, 1 September 2026. Since Days of Our Lives films yonks in advance—think 10 or 11 months before it hits Peacock—we're just now seeing the beginning of Rogers' comeback arc.

Suzanne Rogers' battle and recovery

There's real-life context here that's hard to ignore. Rogers only recently finished a difficult stretch, having revealed her stage II colorectal cancer diagnosis in October last year. By November, she told the press she was in remission—all fairly remarkable, considering actors of her generation often quietly step back when faced with such ordeals. Her treatment wrapped at the end of July 2025, so, no, her time away wasn't just extended holiday. This was recovery, plain and simple.

Here's how Rogers herself described it in her interview with PEOPLE:

I'm feeling so much better. I mean, my summer was rough. I had cancer removed, radiation, that was tough. But I didn't lose my hair. I guess I got it early. I was stage two, and it was a certain kind of chemo that they gave me, it was pills and the radiation, and it didn't affect it so that was good.

What's more, this isn't her first brush with major medical challenges—she confronted myasthenia gravis back in 1984 (which, like her cancer, is now in remission). For someone who's now 83, still walking back onto set after all this, it's hard not to be impressed.

A legacy role—and a record setter

Some perspective for anyone joining late: Rogers isn't just any supporting player. She's marked 53 years on Days as of last week, with her debut stretching back to August 1973. In 1979, she set a record as the very first person to win the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Daytime Drama Series—a bit of trivia most casual viewers don't know. Then last year, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences inducted her into the elusive Gold Circle for half a century's service.

No word yet on how long Maggie is sticking around, but given Rogers is now back on set and feeling much stronger, fans should expect her storylines to pick up again heading into autumn.