The 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards brought Hollywood’s brightest stars together on Friday night, October 30, at the historic Hollywood Palladium, celebrating the absolute best in daytime television. In a night filled with emotional acceptance speeches, milestone achievements, and fierce competition across categories, ABC’s enduring soap opera General Hospital captured the coveted top prize of Best Daytime Drama Series.
Heading into Friday night’s ceremony leading the pack with an impressive 13 nominations, General Hospital ultimately walked away with four trophies in total. Beyond its victory for best drama series, the show scored wins for its stellar casting and standout guest performances. Adding to the emotional weight of the evening, beloved General Hospital icon Genie Francis was honored with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing her legendary, decades-long impact on daytime television.
However, General Hospital did not have the field entirely to itself. CBS’s newcomer Beyond THE Gates also made a monumental splash at the 2026 ceremony, securing four awards of its own. Among its major victories was Tamara Tunie winning Best Actress in a Daytime Drama Series for her riveting portrayal of Anita Williams Dupree.
Accepting her first-ever Daytime Emmy Award, an emotional Tunie used her platform to honor the historical roots of Black women in television. She paid glowing tribute to the host of Black actresses who paved the way for her, stating that she could feel their presence as she stood on stage. She explicitly acknowledged the legendary Cicely Tyson, who made history as the first Black woman to appear on a daytime television show when she starred in The Guiding Light.
Meanwhile, the race for Best Actor in a Daytime Drama Series went to The Bold and the Beautiful star Scott Clifton, who plays Liam Spencer. Clifton triumphed in a heavily competitive category that included heavyweights from across the daytime landscape. Fellow Bold and the Beautiful star Heather Tom entered the evening eyeing a record-setting seventh Daytime Emmy trophy, which would have cemented her status as the most awarded actress in daytime television history, though the milestone will have to wait for another year.
The Young and the Restless entered the ceremony dominating the nomination ballots with an astounding 18 nods. While it secured three wins overall, two of those victories came in the supporting performer categories. Roger Howarth was named Best Supporting Actor for his work as Matt Clark, while Beth Maitland earned the trophy for Best Supporting Actress, playing the beloved Traci Abbott.
In the talk show arena, The Kelly Clarkson Show continued its dominant run by capturing five awards, including the prestigious trophy for Best Daytime Talk Series. However, singer and host Kelly Clarkson was notably absent from the ceremony, and she did not win the category for Best Daytime Talk Series Host. Instead, that honor was awarded to former talk show host Sherri Shepherd, whose eponymous talk show, Sherri, claimed the victory following a competitive run in the television market.
Other notable winners throughout the evening included Tracee Ellis Ross, who took home the award for Best Travel and Adventure Program for her Roku series Solo Traveling. Keke Palmer won recognition for her executive producing work on Glam Through the Ages, while culinary icon Ina Garten secured the award for Best Culinary Host. Garten’s Food Network series, Be My Guest, was simultaneously named Best Culinary Instructional Series.
The entertainment industry publication The Hollywood Reporter also celebrated a major milestone during the evening, winning its first-ever Daytime Emmy Award. THR took home the trophy for Outstanding Arts and Popular Culture Program for its acclaimed Off Script roundtable series. Fellow Penske Media Corporation brand IndieWire also found success, winning the award for best editing for a daytime studio program for its craft roundtables, with Trevor Wallace accepting the honor on behalf of the brand.
A Passionate Stand for Free Speech and Democracy
While the evening was primarily dedicated to honoring television excellence, the most politically charged moment of the night arrived midway through the ceremony. National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) Chair Terry O’Reilly delivered a timely, urgent speech just days ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Drawing a historical parallel to a U.S. congressman who was imprisoned in 1798 under the Sedition Act for criticizing the president in print, O’Reilly reminded the audience of the collective power of engaged citizens.
"The free press in 1800 was not saved by a court. It was saved by citizens who were engaged and informed," O’Reilly declared from the stage.
Pivoting to the contemporary media landscape, O’Reilly issued a stern warning regarding what he described as the most sustained effort to control what Americans see and hear in his lifetime. He explicitly cited recent encroachments on journalistic freedom, including journalists being banned from covering the Pentagon and the president, the Department of Justice antitrust investigation into the White House TV press pool, and government challenges to the traditional news exemptions enjoyed by late-night and daytime programs, including ABC’s The View.
"It is not much of a leap, from silencing political speech, to suppressing creative expression," O’Reilly continued. "The characters, the storylines, the points of view that someone in power decides are no longer welcome. Here, in the cradle of Hollywood, this town of all towns, we know where that can lead. We have seen what happens when those in power begin drawing up lists of people and pops and ideas that they are willing to label as un-American. We should never wish to see that again."
Concluding his address with an eye toward the consequential midterm elections on Tuesday, O’Reilly delivered a direct call to action for the creative community sitting in the auditorium. "Let’s stand together to resist those who would seek comfort in a quieter media."
Celebrating Industry Legends
In addition to the competitive categories, NATAS inducted several influential industry veterans into its prestigious Gold and Silver Circle Societies. These honors recognize television professionals who have demonstrated enduring contributions to the medium through decades of dedicated service.
The 2026 Gold Circle inductees—representing 50 years in the industry—included Allen Media Group CEO Byron Allen, performer Patrika Darbo, actor-director-producer Francesca James, and host-producer Meredith Vieira. Meanwhile, the Silver Circle inductees—honoring 25 years of service—featured Fox TV Stations Executive Vice President of Programming and Development Stephen Brown and announcer and warm-up host Rubin Ervin.
As the ceremony concluded at the Hollywood Palladium, the full scope of daytime television’s achievements over the past year had been officially recognized, setting the stage for another transformative year in broadcast and streaming entertainment.
Outstanding Daytime Drama Series
- General Hospital (WINNER) — ABC
- Beyond the Gates — CBS
- Days of our Lives — Peacock
- The Young and the Restless — CBS
Outstanding Daytime Talk Series
- The Kelly Clarkson Show (WINNER) — NBCUniversal Syndication Studios
- 3rd Hour of TODAY — NBC
- The Drew Barrymore Show — CBS Media Ventures
- Live with Kelly and Mark — Disney Entertainment Distribution
- TODAY with Jenna & Friends — NBC
- The View — ABC
Outstanding Entertainment News Series
- Entertainment Tonight (WINNER) — CBS Media Ventures
- Access Hollywood — NBCUniversal Syndication Studios
- Extra — Warner Bros. Television
Outstanding Culinary Instructional Series
- Be My Guest with Ina Garten (WINNER) — Food Network
- Andrew Zimmern’s Wild Game Kitchen — Outdoor Channel
- Delicious Miss Brown — Food Network
- Magnolia Table: At The Farm — Magnolia Network
- Pati’s Mexican Table — PBS
Outstanding Culinary Cultural Series
- Lucky Chow (WINNER) — PBS
- America The Bountiful — PBS
- Best Ever Food Review Show — YouTube
- Fork & Hammer — American Public Television
- Savor The City — TV-One
Outstanding Legal / Courtroom Series
- Justice For The People with Judge Milian (WINNER) — Entertainment Studios
- Caught in Providence — Debmar-Mercury
- Divorce Court — FOX
- Mathis Court with Judge Mathis — Entertainment Studios
Outstanding Travel and Adventure Program
- Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross (WINNER) — Roku
- Expedition Unknown — Discovery Channel
- Long Way Home — Apple
- The Lovely Lemurs of Madagascar — Pets.TV
- Superskilled with Eva zu Beck — National Geographic
Outstanding Instructional / How-To Program
- Home Town Takeover (WINNER) — HGTV
- Ask This Old House — PBS | Roku
- Fixer Upper: Colorado Mountain House — Magnolia Network
- The Last Wright — Magnolia Network
- This Old House — PBS | Roku
Outstanding Lifestyle Program
- A Different Breed (WINNER) — InkBlot Narratives
- George to the Rescue — NBC
- With Love, Meghan — Netflix
- The Motherhood — Hallmark Channel | Hallmark+
- The Wizard of Paws — BYUtv
Outstanding Arts and Popular Culture Program
- Off Script With The Hollywood Reporter (WINNER) — The Hollywood Reporter | IFC
- Beyond the Gates: Welcome to the Neighborhood — CBS Media Ventures
- Variety & CNN Actors on Actors — CNN Digital | Variety
- Variety Studio: Actors on Actors — PBS
- Working in the Theatre — AmericanTheatreWing.org
Outstanding Daytime Special
- Unleashing Hope: The Power of Service Dogs for Children with Autism (WINNER) — Hulu
- Critics Choice 2nd Annual Celebration of LBGTQ+ Cinema & Television — Here TV
- Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade — ABC
- Living Proof — Hulu
- Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade — NBC | Peacock
Outstanding Daytime Short Form Program
- Glam Through The Ages (WINNER) — KeyTV Network
- Catalyst — LinkedIn News
- Most-Ordered — Eater
- The Path with Ryan Roslansky — LinkedIn News
- Stand Up and Do Something with Michael Jr. — BYUtv
Outstanding Lead Performer in a Daytime Drama Series: Actress
- Tamara Tunie as Anita Williams Dupree (WINNER) — Beyond the Gates
- Stacy Haiduk as Kristen DiMera — Days of our Lives
- Karla Mosley as Dani Dupree — Beyond the Gates
- Michelle Stafford as Phyllis Summers — The Young and the Restless
- Heather Tom as Katie Logan — The Bold and the Beautiful
Outstanding Lead Performer in a Daytime Drama Series: Actor
- Scott Clifton as Liam Spencer (WINNER) — The Bold and the Beautiful
- Eric Braeden as Victor Newman — The Young and the Restless
- Steve Burton as Jason Morgan — General Hospital
- Thorsten Kaye as Ridge Forrester — The Bold and the Beautiful
- Christian Jules LeBlanc as Michael Baldwin — The Young and the Restless
Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Daytime Drama Series: Actress
- Beth Maitland as Traci Abbott (WINNER) — The Young and the Restless
- Linsey Godfrey as Sarah Horton — Days of our Lives
- Camryn Grimes as Mariah Copeland — The Young and the Restless
- Trisha Mann-Grant as Leslie Thomas — Beyond the Gates
- Amanda Setton as Brook Lynn Quartermaine — General Hospital
Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Daytime Drama Series: Actor
- Roger Howarth as Matt Clark (WINNER) — The Young and the Restless
- Sean Dominic as Nate Hastings — The Young and the Restless
- Timon Kyle Durrett as Bill Hamilton — Beyond the Gates
- Michael Graziadei as Daniel Romalotti — The Young and the Restless
- Mike Manning as Bradley “Smitty” Smith — Beyond the Gates
- Lawrence Saint-Victor as Carter Walton — The Bold and the Beautiful
Outstanding Emerging Talent in a Daytime Drama Series
- Ambyr Michelle as Eva Thomas (WINNER) — Beyond the Gates
- Braedyn Bruner as Emma Scorpio-Drake — General Hospital
- Al Calderon as Javier Hernandez — Days of our Lives
- Alice Halsey as Rachel Black — Days of our Lives
- Giovanni Mazza as Gio Palmieri — General Hospital
- Arielle Prepetit as Naomi Hamilton Hawthorne — Beyond the Gates
Outstanding Guest Performance in a Daytime Drama Series
- Jeff Kober as Cyrus Renault (WINNER) — General Hospital
- Jasmine Burke as June Hughes — Beyond the Gates
- Eva LaRue as Natalia Rogers-Ramirez — General Hospital
- Christopher Sean as Paul Narita — Days of our Lives
- Ray Wise as Ian Ward — The Young and the Restless
Outstanding Daytime Talk Series Host
- Sherri Shepherd (WINNER) — Sherri
- Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin & Ana Navarro — The View
- Kelly Clarkson — The Kelly Clarkson Show
- Tamron Hall — Tamron Hall
- Jennifer Hudson — The Jennifer Hudson Show
Outstanding Culinary Host
- Ina Garten (WINNER) — Be My Guest with Ina Garten
- Kardea Brown — Delicious Miss Brown
- Danielle Chang — Lucky Chow
- Pati Jinich — Pati’s Mexican Table
- Andrew Zimmern — Andrew Zimmern’s Wild Game Kitchen
Outstanding Daytime Personality – Daily
- Star Jones & Corey Jovan (WINNER) — Divorce Court
- Mona Kosar Abdi, Derek Hough & Terri Seymour — Extra
- Cassie DiLaura, Denny Directo, Kevin Frazier, Rachel Smith & Nischelle Turner — Entertainment Tonight
- Scott Evans, Zuri Hall, Kit Hoover & Mario Lopez — Access Hollywood
Outstanding Daytime Personality – Non-Daily
- Giada De Laurentiis (WINNER) — Giada in My Kitchen
- Eva zu Beck — Superskilled with Eva zu Beck
- Joy Behar, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin & Ana Navarro — The Weekend View
- Derrick Campana — The Wizard of Paws
- Keke Palmer — Glam Through The Ages
- Joseph Rosendo — Joseph Rosendo’s Steppin’ Out
Outstanding Writing Team for a Daytime Drama Series
- General Hospital (WINNER) — ABC
- Beyond the Gates — CBS
- The Bold and the Beautiful — CBS
- Days of our Lives — Peacock
Outstanding Writing for a Daytime Non-Fiction Series
- Expedition Unknown (WINNER – TIE) — Discovery Channel
- This Old House (WINNER – TIE) — PBS | Roku
- Ask This Old House — PBS | Roku
- Joseph Rosendo’s Steppin’ Out — PBS
- Lucky Chow — PBS
Outstanding Directing Team for a Daytime Drama Series
- Days of our Lives (WINNER) — Peacock
- General Hospital — ABC
- The Young and the Restless — CBS
Outstanding Directing for a Daytime Non-Studio Non-Fiction Series
- A Different Breed (WINNER) — InkBlot Narratives
- Let Frankie Cook — Tastemade
- Samantha Brown’s Places To Love — PBS
- Superskilled with Eva zu Beck — National Geographic
- The Wizard of Paws — BYUtv
Outstanding Directing for a Daytime Studio Non-Fiction Series
- The Kelly Clarkson Show (WINNER) — NBCUniversal Syndication Studios
- Craft Roundtables — IndieWire.com
- The Drew Barrymore Show — CBS Media Ventures
- Entertainment Tonight — CBS
- TODAY with Jenna & Friends — NBC
Outstanding Music Direction and Composition for a Daytime Program
- Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (WINNER) — NBC | Peacock
- Beyond the Gates — CBS
- Have Guitar Will Travel World — PBS
- The Kelly Clarkson Show — NBCUniversal Syndication Studios
- Let Frankie Cook — Tastemade
Outstanding Technical Direction and Video for a Daytime Program
- Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (WINNER) — NBC | Peacock
- Beyond the Gates — CBS
- The Bold and the Beautiful — CBS
- Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade — ABC
- The Jennifer Hudson Show — Warner Bros. Television
Outstanding Cinematography or Camerawork for a Daytime Program
- Long Way Home (WINNER) — Apple
- Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade — ABC
- France Made with Love — PBS
- General Hospital — ABC
- Superskilled with Eva zu Beck — National Geographic
- TrueSouth — ESPN | ABC | SEC Network
Outstanding Editing for a Daytime Non-Studio Program
- A Different Breed (WINNER) — InkBlot Narratives
- Expedition Unknown — Discovery Channel
- King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch — Netflix
- Long Way Home — Apple
- The Wizard of Paws — BYUtv
Outstanding Editing for a Daytime Studio Program
- Craft Roundtables (WINNER) — IndieWire.com
- The Drew Barrymore Show — CBS Media Ventures
- Extra — Warner Bros. Television Group
- The Kelly Clarkson Show — NBCUniversal Syndication Studios
Outstanding Sound Mixing and Sound Editing for a Prerecorded Daytime Program
- Long Way Home (WINNER) — Apple
- Bare Feet with Mickela Mallozzi — PBS
- Dream of Europe — PBS
- Expedition Unknown — Discovery Channel
- Forever Young with Dr. Pablo Prichard — NBC
Outstanding Sound Mixing and Sound Editing for a Live Daytime Program
- The Kelly Clarkson Show (WINNER) — NBCUniversal Syndication Studios
- The Bold and the Beautiful — CBS
- The Jennifer Hudson Show — Warner Bros. Television
- Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade — NBC | Peacock
- The Young and the Restless — CBS
Outstanding Lighting Direction for a Daytime Program
- Beyond the Gates (WINNER) — CBS
- General Hospital — ABC
- The Jennifer Hudson Show — Warner Bros. Television
- The Kelly Clarkson Show — NBCUniversal Syndication Studios
- Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade — NBC | Peacock
Outstanding Art Direction / Set Decoration / Scenic Design for a Daytime Program
- The Kelly Clarkson Show (WINNER) — NBCUniversal Syndication Studios
- Live with Kelly and Mark — Disney Entertainment Distribution
- The View — ABC
- The Young and the Restless — CBS (Episode 13145)
- The Young and the Restless — CBS (Episode 13244)
Outstanding Costume Design / Styling for a Daytime Program
- The Young and the Restless (WINNER) — CBS
- The Jennifer Hudson Show — Warner Bros. Television
- The Kelly Clarkson Show — NBCUniversal Syndication Studios
- Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade — NBC | Peacock
Outstanding Hairstyling and Makeup for a Daytime Program
- Beyond the Gates (WINNER – TIE) — CBS
- The Kelly Clarkson Show (WINNER – TIE) — NBCUniversal Syndication Studios
- General Hospital — ABC
- The Young and the Restless — CBS
Outstanding Casting for a Daytime Program
- General Hospital (WINNER) — ABC
- Beyond the Gates — CBS
- The Young and the Restless — CBS
Outstanding Main Title and Graphic Design for a Daytime Program
- The Drew Barrymore Show (WINNER) — CBS Media Ventures
- The Kelly Clarkson Show — NBCUniversal Syndication Studios
- Tamron Hall — Disney Entertainment Distribution