In the midst of celebrating its 60th anniversary, Days of our Lives has been dropping little gifts everywhere — familiar faces drifting back into town, old ties being tugged loose again, and that shiny in-universe free clinic opening gala giving everybody an excuse to dress up and cross paths. It’s the kind of moment where nostalgia and storylines braid together. And right in the middle of all that energy, Suzanne Rogers quietly stepped forward on social media and reminded people that her own journey — from teenage Rockette to the beating heart of Salem — is one worth pausing for.
Key Takeaways
- DAYS is leaning into its 60th anniversary nostalgia.
- Suzanne Rogers used the moment to reflect on her real-life journey from teenage Rockette to Maggie Horton, one of daytime’s most enduring characters.
- On Soapy, she shared how she joined the Rockettes at 17 and learned early that kindness and warmth would guide her career.
- Rogers revisited her battle with myasthenia gravis and how DAYS wrote her illness into Maggie’s story so she didn’t have to hide it.
From Rockettes Rehearsal Halls to Salem’s Front Porch
On the latest episode of Soapy, hosted with an easy, lived-in banter by Greg Rikaart (Leo, DAYS) and Rebecca Budig (Taylor, The Bold and the Beautiful), Rogers slid into the conversation like someone you’ve known your whole life. They introduced her the way only fellow soap veterans can — with a mix of awe, affection, and just a little disbelief that one person has carried a single character for over 50 years.
Once she started talking, though, the headline wrote itself. Rogers traced her steps back to age 17, taking the train from Virginia to New York with nothing but nerve and a pair of green tights, auditioning for the Rockettes with 70 other girls and somehow hearing her name. “I got a telegram to come to Radio City. And that’s all it said. Come to Radio City Music Hall,” she stated, adding, “And they had said that they only picked three. Oh my God. They only wanted three of us.” She talked about the thrill of Radio City, the strange loneliness of leaving home that young, and the early lesson she carried with her into daytime: that leading with warmth isn’t a performance, it’s survival.
And then she moved into the part of her story that still lands like a gut punch — the years she battled myasthenia gravis, how the show wrote her illness into Maggie’s life because hiding it felt dishonest, and how stepping back onto set with a face she barely recognized took more courage than any musical theater stage she’d ever crossed. “I want to be good in here,” she said, tapping her heart, “and warm in here.” It wasn’t a line. It was her North Star.
A Legacy Built on Heart, Not Spotlight
By the time she reached the later chapters — remission, resilience, the friends who stayed close during her cancer treatments, the steady rhythm of showing up for work because Salem still had a place for her — the conversation felt less like an interview and more like a love letter to endurance.
Rogers didn’t frame herself as a legend. She let the years do the talking. On screen for 50 seasons, cultural firsts, illnesses fought in the open, a character who grew from ingénue to matriarch without losing her core gentleness — it’s a life carved from hard work, grit, and grace.
As DAYS lights its anniversary candles, Rogers’ Maggie isn’t just part of the celebration. She’s the reason so many viewers stayed long enough to witness it. (Get details about Rogers’ recent cancer battle.)
