The Real Reason Maggie’s Screen Time Is Down on Days of Our Lives, According to Suzanne Rogers

If you've been watching Days of Our Lives lately (and really, who hasn't had at least one guilty afternoon?), you might've noticed there's a lot less Maggie Horton on your screen. Suzanne Rogers, who has pretty much become a daytime TV landmark since first showing up as Maggie back in 1973, has fans asking: Where has she gone?

Why Maggie Horton Is Spending More Time Offscreen

So here's the deal, straight from Rogers herself. In a recent chat with Digital Journal, she got real about why we're not seeing nearly as much Maggie as we used to. And no, it's not because she's tired of Salem drama (can you ever really be?).

Rogers explained that much of it comes down to simple math: she just doesn't get handed as many script pages as before. She remembers a time when she would have 40 pages of dialogue for an episode (unimaginable for most, right?). These days? Not so much.

What's Really Going On Behind the Scenes

Turns out, it has less to do with Rogers' desire to step back and more about new writers learning the ropes. When a show has been around literal decades, newer writers often need a while to figure out what to do with these long-standing characters. Apparently, the default mode is to push legacy characters like Maggie a little to the sidelines until they find their footing.

Here's a quick breakdown of how it works, according to Rogers:

• If a storyline fits a character's family or background, the legacy actors get pulled in.
• If their “TV relatives” aren't front and center, they don't show up as much—plain and simple.
• Even when Maggie appears, she's not guaranteed a big part in those episodes, mostly hanging around the edges of the main action.

Rogers mentioned a current plot involving Xander and Sarah (played by Paul Telfer and Linsey Godfrey if you’re keeping score at home). Maggie, being Sarah's mom and Xander's mother-in-law, is technically around, but way in the background. Rogers put it bluntly: 'I'm there, but I don't work as much as I would if I were to have the main story.'

Not Bothered by the Chaotic Soap Opera Schedule

Surprisingly, Rogers is totally okay with all of this. She knows the genre. Soap operas are famously unpredictable with their storylines (sometimes for better, sometimes for much, much weirder). She chalks it up to being just part of the roller coaster ride.

Here’s how she puts it:

Honestly, it's a pretty healthy attitude—and probably the only way to survive half a century in daytime television. So if you're missing Maggie, just know: this isn't goodbye, it's just a classic soap pause.