What is “Days of Our Lives”?

“Days of Our Lives” (referred to as “Days”) is one of America’s best-known soap operas, that premiered on NBC in 1965 and switched to the network’s streaming service, Peacock, in September 2022. Having aired almost every weekday since November 1965, it boasts the title of being one of the world’s longest-running scripted TV programs.

The series was created by Ted and Betty Corday, and co-produced by Sony Pictures Television and Corday Productions. Many of its early storylines were written by William J. Bell until 1975, when he left to focus on “The Young and the Restless”. In 2007, “Days” became the only soap opera left on NBC after the cancellation of “Passions”. Since the show has switched to Peacock, NBC has become the only Big Three network without a daytime serial.

“Days”, which is set in the fictional city of Salem, follows the same formula as other soap operas by focusing on two main families, the Horton and the Brady clans; secondary families include the Kiriakis and the DiMeras. Alice Horton, played by Frances Reid, was considered the protagonist of the show as the matriarch of the Horton family; Maggie Horton, played by Suzanne Rogers, has been a regular in “Days” since August 1973, and is the longest-serving current cast member of an ongoing American soap opera, as well as the show’s longest-serving cast member.

The show’s popularity led to episodes doubling in length from 30 to 60 minutes in April 1975. “Days” was deemed the most daring drama of the 1970s, as it covered topics that other soaps considered taboo. It’s currently broadcast in many countries around the world, and famous self-confessed fans of the soap include the Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall, and the A-list actress Julia Roberts.

Maggie Horton – Part One

Maggie Horton, also known as Maggie Simmons, was one of the first characters invented by William Bell and Betty Corday. Despite being introduced to the show as a potential love interest for Mickey Horton, an already established character, in later years she would become an integral part of “Days”. Suzanne auditioned for the role in July 1973, and caught the attention of Susan Flannery, who portrayed Dr. Laura Horton. Maggie became a guest character in August 1973; William Bell considered her the ideal actress for the role, and she was soon described as one of the most energetic women on daytime TV.

Maggie, who was crippled after a childhood car accident that left her an orphan, lived on a farm in the countryside. Mickey Horton came to her farmhouse one day and collapsed after asking for food and water; at the time, he believed his name was Marty Hanson, and was suffering from memory problems. Starved for company, Maggie took Mickey in, and cared for him.

In 1974, Maggie and Mickey – still believing he was Marty – married, after having been living together on the farm for several months at that point. Mickey began reading about treatments for injuries similar to Maggie’s that was being carried out at Salem University Hospital, and booked her an appointment for a check-up.

Upon visiting the hospital, Maggie saw a photo of Mickey on one of the desks and overheard stories about a patient, Mickey Horton, who disappeared when “Marty” came into her life. After leaving the hospital, Maggie decided not to tell her husband what she’d overheard, but the Horton family eventually visited the farmhouse after seeing a photo of Mickey in the newspaper. Maggie was determined to stay with Mickey, and underwent a grueling operation to regain the use of her legs.

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She was operated by Bill, Mickey’s brother, but was still unable to walk. At that point, Laura Horton – Bill’s current wife and Mickey’s ex-wife – explained that her paralysis was no longer physical, but mental: Maggie feared losing Mickey so much that her mind was causing the paralysis. Mickey and Laura officially divorced, and he would marry Maggie in January 1975.

Mickey and Maggie were polar opposites; he was a whip-smart lawyer, while she was viewed as a vulnerable farm girl. However, they were one of the most stable couples on the show, and overcame many obstacles together. With time, Maggie’s character also became much more fleshed out, and more than just Mickey’s wife.

In the first years of their marriage, Maggie felt threatened by Linda Patterson, Mickey’s former lover who was trying to win him back while pretending to be Maggie’s friend. Linda sensationally claimed that Mickey was the father of her daughter, Melissa, but her estranged husband revealed that she’d lied.

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Although Linda would embark on other relationships – with Tommy, Mickey’s brother, and the superrich Bob Anderson, whom she would eventually marry – she remained a thorn in Maggie’s side. Following the death of Bob Anderson, Melissa ran away from her neglectful mother, and was adopted by Mickey and Maggie in 1982 when Linda skipped out on the court hearing.

In 1987, Mickey and Maggie’s adopted daughter Janice was taken away by her biological mother, Joanna Barnes. Although Janice was eventually found and returned to the couple, Joanna began working in Salem to be close to her daughter. Their relationship took its toll on Maggie and she began drowning her sorrows in alcohol; her drinking spiraled out of control and led to her and Janice being left unconscious and taken to hospital after an unpleasant car accident.

Maggie was arrested after the incident, and joined Alcoholics Anonymous, but began drinking again as the date of Janice’s custody hearing neared. Driven crazy by the thought of Janice returning to her biological mother, Maggie kidnapped the child and they fled Salem. She was eventually found by her father-in-law, Tom Horton, and returned to Salem.

Janice had an accident while playing on the pier and fell into the water, slipping into a coma as a result. Joanna and Maggie fought bitterly over Janice at the hospital, and eventually, Joanna won custody of her daughter. Maggie struggled to cope with her emotions, and things only worsened when she unknowingly sold products containing cocaine to customers of Mickey’s niece, Julie. When an irate drug dealer came looking for the customers, Maggie was forced to shoot him with his own gun, and was left somewhat traumatized after the encounter.

A year or so later, Maggie agreed to be a surrogate mother for an anonymous donor. The procedure was performed and Maggie soon became pregnant; a few months later, the anonymous donor, Dr. Evan Whyland, came to Salem and began visiting Maggie. Mickey discovered that Maggie was carrying Evan’s baby and told Maggie; even so, she wanted to keep the child, and Mickey agreed.

On the left is myself, Renee Dumonde. On the right is Sarah Horton. Why are people constantly confusing us?! We look nothing alike! #Days #Xarah #Sarenee pic.twitter.com/DhoFRYme6P

— Sarah Horton (@drsarahhorton) March 7, 2022

Sarah Horton was born in late 1981, and Mickey and Maggie were embroiled in yet another custody battle, this time with Evan. They eventually won custody, but Evan continued to visit Maggie and his daughter. Stefano DiMera, a powerful crime lord, tried to have Maggie killed, suspecting that she knew that Evan had evidence against him. Evan soon died under mysterious circumstances, and Mickey and his partner Don began investigating Stefano.

During the investigation, Stefano kidnapped Mickey and made it look like he’d died in a car crash. After spending a lot of time with a grieving Maggie, Don fell in love with her and confessed his feelings; just when they professed their love for each other, Mickey escaped Stefano’s clutches and returned to Salem, but suffered a heart attack when he witnessed the scene.

Although Maggie and Mickey divorced shortly afterwards, she stopped seeing Don and realized that her divorce was a mistake. She spent a year in New York trying to process her feelings, and when she returned to Salem, Mickey was accidentally shot during a gang fight. He recovered at Maggie’s house as she nursed him back to health, and they rekindled their relationship, remarrying a few months later.

Tragedy struck in 1984, when in real life Suzanne was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, a rare muscle disorder. Her facial muscles were affected by the disease, and the medications she had to take came with unpleasant side effects such as hair loss and severe sickness. As the effects of the disease worsened, Suzanne reluctantly quit the show, as her entire appearance had changed.

However, Suzanne wished to educate viewers about the rare disease, and approached Betty Corday to discuss the possibility of Maggie being diagnosed with the disorder. Betty agreed, and so Maggie had her own major storyline in which she learned she had myasthenia gravis. Thankfully, Suzanne herself went into remission in 1995, and has remained in remission ever since, although her character  Maggie began to notice symptoms of the disease returning in 2010.

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A few years after remarrying, Maggie and Mickey were on the rocks again. Mickey was constantly missing out on important dinner dates and other functions as he was consumed by work, and she began an illicit affair with Dr. Neil Curtis. Sarah took photos of Maggie and Neil after catching them in bed together; she was about to expose them when Maggie and Neil revealed, in a shocking plot twist, that Neil was Sarah’s biological father.

Even so, Sarah exposed the pair. Despite being heartbroken, Mickey shouldered some of the blame for Maggie’s infidelity. Neil left town when the turbulent couple began working on their marriage. A couple of years later, Maggie became a keen entrepreneur by investing in a cosmetics company and purchasing a local restaurant.

Maggie Horton – Part Two

In 2003, a close friend of Mickey and Maggie named Marlena Evans attacked them in their home. Although Mickey survived, Maggie died of stab wounds after being hit by a bottle of alcohol, and thus became the third victim of the Salem serial killer. Another victim was Alice, Maggie’s mother-in-law.

James E. Reilly, the head writer at the time, boldly decided to bring back all the “dead” characters to get ratings back up; in a daring move, Maggie and the rest appeared in the fictional island of Melaswen. Andre DiMera, Stefano’s nephew, had been keeping them on the island; he also framed and drugged Marlena so that she would believe that she was the serial killer.

While believing that Maggie was dead, Mickey began seeing Bonnie Lockhart, Maggie’s former housekeeper and archenemy. The relationship lasted over a year, and when Maggie returned to Salem, she desperately tried to win Mickey back upon learning that he’d married her nemesis. With help from friends, Maggie tried to make Mickey see that Bonnie was trying to extort him. Mickey eventually realized the truth, and reunited with Maggie, after which they settled into a comfortable routine following years of turmoil, and she began running Chez Rouge, an upscale restaurant.

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In 2010, Maggie booked a cruise for Mickey and herself, but she found him dead of a heart attack days before they were meant to enjoy their vacation. A heartbroken Maggie found it hard to imagine a life without her husband of decades and almost began drinking again at Mickey’s memorial service, after finding a bottle of alcohol in his office; instead, she poured it down the sink.

Mere months later, Maggie’s mother-in-law Alice died while in her care. Maggie, who was reeling from the loss of two loved ones, became the matriarch of the Horton family. She also struck up a friendship with Victor Kiriakis, who was married to Vivian Alamain. Jealous of their closeness, Vivian plotted to entomb Maggie in a crypt in the family mausoleum, but ended up trapped there herself.

After escaping, Vivian entrapped Maggie, who was eventually found by Victor after going missing for several days. While in the hospital, Maggie learned that Victor knew that his wife had been entrapped in the mausoleum, and did nothing about it. Victor began courting Maggie and wished to divorce Vivian; she found it hard to overlook his criminal past, but the pair began seeing each other, and Victor proposed in September 2011.

During the engagement, Hope Brady found a letter written by Alice to Maggie the day before her death. In the letter, Alice reminded Maggie about the experimental program she and Mickey participated in three decades earlier to have a biological child of their own. Maggie and Mickey eventually abandoned the project, but the eggs that Maggie had attempted to harvest were preserved, and some went missing. In a shocking turn of events, Daniel Jones was revealed to be Maggie’s biological son.

Victor and Maggie married in November 2011, but went through a rough patch when Victor revealed that he knew that Maggie’s eggs had gone missing decades ago. Despite eventually forgiving him, Maggie stil didn’t go easy on Victor, and they clashed many times. Despite having a new family and home, she was still considered the Horton matriarch, and maintained a close bond with the other Hortons.

In February 2016, Maggie’s son Daniel was injured in a car accident and eventually died. Maggie had to take the heartbreaking decision to turn off Daniel’s life support, and donate his heart to Brady, her step-grandson. Things became even more complicated with the arrival of Summer, a woman who came to Salem with the bombshell news that she was Maggie’s biological daughter; Maggie had given birth to a child at the young age of 17, but had believed the baby was stillborn.

In the midst of all the chaos, Victor’s estranged brother Deimos began poisoning Maggie with pills that made her disorientated. Maggie fell down the stairs after a bad dizzy spell and was taken to the hospital; Victor was informed that his wife had broken her back and that her legs were once again paralyzed. Deimos revealed that he had poisoned Maggie but had the antidote; the condition for receiving the antidote was that Victor hand over all his assets.

Desperate to save his wife, Victor agreed. A slow recovery ensued, but Maggie was supported by her husband and the Hortons. The couple had a happy ending, as Victor decided to retire and devote all his time to his beloved wife.

What is “Little Women: NY”?

The Lifetime reality series ran from March 2015 to June 2016 for two seasons with a combined 17 episodes. It’s one of many shows spawned by “Little Women: LA”; in the second season, Misty Irwin, Kristin Zettlemoyer and Jordanna James were replaced by Katie Snyder and Jessica Capri. Both seasons featured Jason Perez, the only male cast member.

Cast Members

Lila Call was born in November 1978, and studied French during her college years. The bubbly blonde previously worked as a film developer at CVS, and also wrote for The Hartford Advocate and The Hartford Courant.

As one of the low-key cast members, there is little available information regarding Lila’s personal life. We know that she is friends with Christy McGinity of “Little Women: LA” fame and that she dated Joe Gnoffo, Terra Jolé’s husband, before he met Terra. Lila is bisexual, and has been in a relationship with a woman since Valentine’s Day 2018, but who shies away from the limelight, and the reality star is yet to share any details about her current relationship.

In the past, Lila suffered from alcohol addiction; she was sober for over a year in the mid-2010s, but then began drinking again. For now, fans assume that Lila has kept on the straight and narrow, but the media personality is so elusive that we can’t be sure.

So, what’s Lila up to these days? She recently celebrated her mother’s 76^th birthday in September 2022, but can go months without posting on social media. Her beloved pet dog, Manny, features heavily in her Instagram feed, but there’s no mention of any upcoming projects or a possible comeback to the small screen. Lila is believed to be working an ordinary job, and isn’t interested in the entertainment industry.

Jason Perez made history as the only man to star in the “Little Women” franchise. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he is also a minority cast member of Chinese-American descent. After completing his high school studies, Jason earned a culinary arts degree which would later serve him well in his job as a cook.

Eventually, the multi-talented Jason became a singing server at the restaurant he’d been working at for years. Some of the notable venues he’s performed in include the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular; he also worked for the Actor’s Equity Union at one point.

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Jason is currently studying political science at Queens College. He made a brief cameo in an episode of “Little Women: LA” but seemed disinterested in continuing his promising TV career; similarly, the media personality hasn’t uploaded anything onto his YouTube channel for over two years.

Since 2014, Jason’s boyfriend D.J has been a constant presence in his life. D.J can be seen in many of Jason’s YouTube videos, but is a regular guy who doesn’t court public attention. Jason and D.J have been living together for years and share an undeniably close bond, but don’t seem in a rush to take things to the next level by marrying.

Like Lila, Jason has dozens of thousands of Instagram followers, but posts sparingly. For Dwarfism Awareness Month in October 2022, he shared a touching poem by Eugene Grant, and spoke about his experiences with the condition. Over the years, Jason has been a victim of bullying and discrimination, and captioned his post: “Being kind doesn’t have an expiration date, so if you can help educate, inform, and support then please do so! Sending love to all of those people who stand with us and not against us!”

Dawn Lang was born in July 1982 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with osteogenesis imperfecta, also known as brittle bone disease, but wasn’t diagnosed until she broke her collarbone aged two. A few months after her birth, Dawn was adopted by a couple who also have osteogenesis imperfecta.

Although Dawn’s condition hasn’t stopped her from enjoying life, it also means she can’t enjoy it to its fullest; over the years she has suffered over 16 fractures to her legs, and undergone over a dozen corrective surgeries. Before being approached by Lifetime to appear in the series, she worked as a paralegal.

For seven years, Dawn was in a long-distance relationship that didn’t go anywhere. Since 2017, she has been dating Ernest Ott; the couple welcomed a son named Ernest Ott. Jr in February 2019, and became engaged a year later. Ernest and his son also have dwarfism, as does Dawn’s brother, David.

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Dawn hasn’t posted anything on social media since Christmas Eve 2021, when she shared a sweet family snap with her partner and son. As such, there is no available information regarding her job or what she’s up to these days. She was described as opiniated, judgmental, and unlikeable by many fans of the “Little Women” franchise.

Jazmin Lang is Dawn’s sister-in-law, born in The Bronx, New York in November 1988, of American and specifically Puerto Rican ethnicity. During her time in “Little Women: NY”, Jazmin was trying to break into the entertainment industry as a performer, but returned to school in 2016 to study for a business management degree.

Jazmin and David’s warm and loving relationship made them firm fan favorites. The couple have been married for almost a decade, and welcomed their daughter, Haven Lang, in May 2018. Haven is also a little person, but Jazmin and David have yet to share what type of dwarfism she was born with. The couple are low-key individuals, and have closed their Instagram profiles so only followers can see their posts, possibly to protect their young daughter’s privacy.

Jordanna James is a Connecticut native who celebrates her birthday on 4^th October. Prior to appearing in “Little Women: NY”, she was a professional dancer for Miley Cyrus and other artists, alongside “Little Woman: LA” cast members Brittney Guzman and Terra Jolé.

Jordanna’s boyfriend, Anthony, is of average height. The couple have been in a relationship since October 2013, but are yet to announce an engagement. The performer and dancer co-owns a burlesque troupe named “Sass N’ Betties”; in September 2022, she hit the catwalk for the Runway of Dreams Foundation during New York Fashion Week.

A pitbull lover and avid workout fanatic, Jordanna is the very definition of bookish and busy, as she;s constantly promoting her social media brand via Instagram posts and TikTok videos. Jordanna doesn’t shy away from her sexuality either, and loves posting risqué photoshoots on her social media profiles, which garner thousands of likes.

Kristin Zettlemoyer is one of the show’s most private individuals; hardly anything is known about her personal life. Before becoming a small-time celebrity thanks to “Little Women: NY”, she appeared in a TV documentary series named “Britain’s Ugliest Models”, and is now believed to be doing voiceover work, since cutting ties with Lifetime.

In the past, Kristin was unlucky in love, and divorced her anonymous husband, who also has dwarfism. Since 2016, she’s been married to a man named Josh who was her boyfriend of many years. Kristin has no active social media profiles, and only posts on Twitter every few months.

Misty Irwin is an exuberant esthetician who was born in June 1991. The glamorous blonde seems to have disappeared from the face of the earth since “Little Women: NY” ended; her Instagram, which has only a couple of hundred followers, is private.

Katie Snyder, who joined the cast in season two, was born with hypochondroplasia. Prior to appearing in “Little Women: NY”, she competed in the Micro Championship Wrestling circuit, which is exclusively for little people. Her ring name was Trixie Dynamite, and along with her best friend Jessica Capri, she worked with the famous Hulk Hogan and other big names.

Tonight is the night… Your NOT going to want to miss tonight…
#LWNY#Lifetime #LittleWomenNY #MayThe4thBeWithYou pic.twitter.com/42KP9Ak3kp

— Katie Snyder (@KatieSnyder00) May 4, 2016

Known for her warm and bubbly personality, Katie was a well-liked cast member despite being a newbie. She’s been dating Parnell “PJ” Johnson for over half a decade; their daughter, Kinzley, is four years old, and was born with hypochondroplasia like her mother. Katie didn’t pursue a long-term TV career when her time on “Little Women” ended, and has no public social media profiles either.

Jessica Capri Sloane was born in New Jersey in December 1987, and has achondroplasia. While competing in the Micro Championship Wrestling circuit, her ring name was Jersey Jess, and she rubbed shoulders with many famous people. Jessica holds the title of being the tallest main cast member in the “Little Women” franchise.

Currently, Jessica is engaged to her long-term boyfriend Dru Edwards. Their first child, Jax Nicholas Edwards, was born in November 2020. The New Jersey native currently resides in Las Vegas, and boasts over 60,000 Instagram followers; she’s a health and fitness fanatic, who regularly posts daring photoshoots and bold bikini snaps. Jessica’s son and fiancé, who are of average height, don’t feature heavily on her Instagram or TikTok.

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Scandals

Like any self-respecting reality TV franchise, “Little Women” has seen its fair share of controversy and scandal over the years. For example, Matt Grundhoffer, the estranged husband of “Little Women: LA” star Briana Renee, was accused of sexual assault in 2018 while working at Child Study Treatment Center in Washington. The patient was a minor at the time of the alleged assault; however, Matt was not named as a defendant.

The court ordered personal information, such as Matt’s medical records. According to news outlets, the defendants – the Child Study and Treatment Center and the Department of Social and Health Services – filed a motion for a protective order against the plaintiff. The alleged victim preferred to remain anonymous and claims that Matt was an employee and counselor at the treatment center from September 2009 to November 2010, when she herself was an underage patient.

According to court papers, “Defendants knew or should have known that Grundhoffer posed a danger to Plaintiff and others at CSTC. Plaintiff met Grundhoffer at a time when she was a minor and vulnerable.”

It’s alleged that Matt groomed the plaintiff during their counseling sessions, building up to a romantic relationship that later became sexual. The plaintiff claimed to have developed an emotional dependency on the former reality star, “based on his position of authority and trust”, which was breached when he “pursued a personal and sexual relationship”.

Briana filed for divorce from Matt in November 2017 after his sexting scandals came to light. Less than a fortnight later, she requested a domestic violence restraining order against him for her and their son Maverick. Briana claimed that she found graphic texts between Matt and another woman that involved bestiality, and the proposal of sex acts with minor children. A five-year restraining order was granted by a judge a few months later.

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Just two months after finalizing her divorce from Matt, Briana married her boyfriend Tim. After six seasons, she left the show due to Matt’s scandals and the negative effect they could have on her brand. Prior to the sexting scandal, the pair were already going through a rough patch due to Matt’s philandering ways, and had broken up a couple of times despite reconciling later. Little is known about Matt’s legal woes in 2022, and it’s possible that his court cases are ongoing years later.

Although “Little Women” has a diverse cast that includes many minority groups, Terra Jolé was met with backlash after announcing that she was a partner in the Black Girl Moscato wine brand. Apparently, Terra was afraid to tell her friends because “it’s such a controversial name, especially coming from a person who is white.”

Tonya Banks, Terra’s co-star, didn’t take the news well, and walked out of the room when it was announced. Ironically, Terra had asked Tonya to be the face of the wine. Many African-American fans of “Little Women: LA” slammed Terra for what they considered a racially insensitive decision; Terra herself considered it a great business opportunity.