Martha Madison Exits Days of Our Lives: Belle Wasn’t Meant to Be ‘A Peripheral Character’
Martha Madison is leaving “Days of Our Lives” and the role of Belle Black Brady behind. The actress announced her departure from the soap, revealing that she filmed her last episode in the spring. Because the soap opera films about six months in advance, fans will see Belle in Salem until about November. However, she has left the sudser, at least for the foreseeable future.
In an interview with TV Insider, Madison revealed that she decided to call it quits on the soap after realizing that her character wasn’t at the forefront of many storylines. The actress admitted that as the only child of iconic characters John Black (Drake Hogestyn) and Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall), the character of Belle was never to be someone who was in the background.
Martha Madison is leaving Days of Our Lives behind
“In my opinion, Belle was never meant to be a peripheral character. She is the only child of Marlena and John, and, after 19 years of coming and going from the show, it just finally clicked for me that they were never going to showcase the character the way I felt she should be,” Martha Madison explained. “So, I declined the opportunity to recur and shot that last episode in April. Don’t get me wrong, I am so grateful to have played Belle for two decades, but I’m ready for more. It was just time to leave,” she added. As previously mentioned by Hollywood News Daily, Camila Banus is also exiting the sudser as Gabi Hernandez this year.
Madison went on to reveal that she has another job that allows her to have a bit of financial stability. However, she claims that she’ll look for projects that speak to her in the future. Meanwhile, she did confess that she wouldn’t be opposed to heading to one of the other soaps like “General Hospital,” “The Bold and the Beautiful,” or “The Young and the Restless.”
DOOL fans will say goodbye to Belle Black Brady in the fall
“I love daytime TV and working in soap operas. I’m a huge fan of the genre. I’d be honored to work on any of the shows. I’d just want to make sure it’s going to be a dynamic character that would be featured regularly,” She stated.
Sad that she’s leaving but I hope she’ll be back soon.
— SH ☀️ 🏖️ 🌊 😎 (@SoapyHousewife) August 16, 2023
“Thank you Martha. I still hope to see you back in the not too distant future on Days full time with a contract and the story you and the fans deserve,” one fan said of Madison’s exit from “Days of Our Lives.” Another commented, “So diplomatic. But I still want Belle and Shawn leading story.”
Only time will tell what the future holds for Martha Madison and Belle Black Brady on “Days of Our Lives.” However, fans will certainly miss the actor on the soap opera.
