2026 Daytime Emmy Awards: ‘General Hospital’ Wins Best Daytime Drama
The 2026 Daytime Emmy Awards were presented Friday night, with General Hospital taking home the top prize of best daytime drama.
The series, which went into Friday night’s show up for 13 awards, won three other awards and saw its Genie Francis receive the lifetime achievement award. Beyond the Gates also won four awards, with star Tamara Tunie winning best actress in a daytime drama series. Best actor in a daytime drama went to The Bold and the Beautiful‘s Scott Clifton.
Tunie, who won her first Daytime Emmy, paid tribute to the “host of Black actresses who paved the way for me, and I feel them as I stand here tonight, beginning with the legendary Cicely Tyson, the first Black woman to appear on a daytime television show, The Guiding Light.”
Fellow best actress nominee Heather Tom, from The Bold and the Beautiful, was eyeing a record-setting seventh trophy, which would have made her the most awarded actress in daytime history.
The Young and the Restless led this year’s nominees with 18 nominations. Though it only won three awards, two of those came in the supporting performer categories. Roger Howarth was named best supporting actor, and Beth Maitland was named best supporting actress.
The Kelly Clarkson Show won five awards, including best daytime talk series, but the singer-host of the now-completed talk show didn’t appear to be at the Daytime Emmys. And Clarkson didn’t win the award for best daytime talk series host. Instead that honor went to fellow former talk show host Sherri Shepherd, whose eponymous talk show was canceled after four seasons.
Other notable winners include Tracee Ellis Ross, who won best travel and adventure program for her Solo Traveling show; Keke Palmer, who won for her work executive producing Glam Through the Ages; and Ina Garten, who won best culinary host for her Be My Guest Food Network series, which was named best culinary instructional series.
Midway through the ceremony, NATAS chair Terry O’Reilly offered a timely, political speech, just days ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Speaking about a congressman who was jailed in 1798 after criticizing the president in print, O’Reilly highlighed the power of the people.
“The free press in 1800 was not saved by a court. It was saved by citizens who were engaged and informed,” he said.
Turning to the present day, O’Reilly called out “the most sustained effort to control what Americans see and hear in this country that were faced in my lifetime.” He cited specifically journalists being banned from covering the Pentagon and president, the DOJ antitrust investigation into the White House TV press pool and the challenge to the news exemption enjoyed by late night and daytime programs, including The View.
“It is not much of a leap, from silencing political speech, to suppressing creative expression,” O’Reilly added. “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.”
Turning to the “consequential” midterms on Tuesday, O’Reilly issued a call to those in the audience: “Let’s stand together to resist those who would seek comfort in a quieter media.”
And NATAS additionally inducted a number of individuals into its Gold and Silver Circle Society, recognizing industry leaders who’ve demonstrated enduring contributions to television through their 50 or 25 years in industry. The 2026 Gold Circle inductees are Allen Media Group CEO Byron Allen, performer Patrika Darbo, actor-director-producer Francesca James and host-producer Meredith Vieira. The Silver Circle inductees are Fox TV Stations executive vp, programming and development Stephen Brown and announcer warm-up host Rubin Ervin.
“Tonight, we celebrated the outstanding talent and enduring impact of daytime television,” NATAS president and CEO Adam Sharp said in a statement after Friday’s Daytime Emmys. “For more than 50 years, daytime programming has brought people together through stories that entertain, inform and inspire, reflecting the world around us and creating lasting connections with audiences across generations.”
The Hollywood Reporter won its first Daytime Emmy, taking home the award for best arts and popular culture program for THR’s Off Script roundtable series.
Fellow PMC brand IndieWire additionally won best editing for a daytime studio program for its craft roundtables, with Trevor Wallace accepting the award.
The 53rd Daytime Emmy Awards ceremony took place on Friday, Oct. 30 at the Hollywood Palladium.
A complete list of the 2026 Daytime Emmy Awards winners follows.
Outstanding Daytime Drama Series
Beyond the Gates
CBS
Days of our Lives
Peacock [Corday Productions, Inc. | Sony Pictures Television]
General Hospital (WINNER)
ABC
The Young and the Restless
CBS [Sony Pictures Television]
Outstanding Daytime Talk Series
3rd Hour of TODAY
NBC
The Drew Barrymore Show
CBS Media Ventures
The Kelly Clarkson Show (WINNER)
NBCUniversal Syndication Studios
Live with Kelly and Mark
Disney Entertainment Distribution
TODAY with Jenna & Friends
NBC
The View
ABC
Outstanding Entertainment News Series
Access Hollywood
NBCUniversal Syndication Studios
Entertainment Tonight (WINNER)
CBS Media Ventures
Extra
Warner Bros. Television [Telepictures]
Outstanding Culinary Instructional Series
Andrew Zimmern’s Wild Game Kitchen
Outdoor Channel [Intuitive Content]
Be My Guest with Ina Garten (WINNER)
Food Network [Pacific Productions]
Delicious Miss Brown
Food Network [FRANK.]
Magnolia Table: At The Farm
Magnolia Network [Blind Nil]
Pati’s Mexican Table
PBS [Mexican Table LLC | Early Light Media]
Outstanding Culinary Cultural Series
America The Bountiful
PBS [Credo Nonfiction]
Best Ever Food Review Show
Best Ever Food Review Show on YouTube
Fork & Hammer
American Public Television [Susie Films]
Lucky Chow (WINNER)
PBS [Lucky Rice]
Savor The City
TV-One [Powerhouse Productions]
Outstanding Legal / Courtroom Series
Caught in Providence
Debmar-Mercury
Divorce Court
FOX
Justice For The People with Judge Milian (WINNER)
Entertainment Studios
Mathis Court with Judge Mathis
Entertainment Studios
Outstanding Travel and Adventure Program
Expedition Unknown
Discovery Channel [Ping Pong Productions]
Long Way Home
Apple [Long Way Productions]
The Lovely Lemurs of Madagascar
Pets.TV [Allen Media Group]
Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross (WINNER)
Roku [Joy Mill Entertainment | Story Syndicate | Artists First]
Superskilled with Eva zu Beck
National Geographic
Outstanding Instructional / How-To Program
Ask This Old House
PBS | Roku [This Old House Productions]
Fixer Upper: Colorado Mountain House
Magnolia Network [Blind Nil]
Home Town Takeover (WINNER)
HGTV [RTR Media Inc.]
The Last Wright: Building the Final Home Design of America’s Greatest Architect
Magnolia Network [One Traveler | All 3 Media | A | Miziker Entertainment]
This Old House
PBS | Roku [This Old House Productions]
Outstanding Lifestyle Program
A Different Breed (WINNER)
InkBlot Narratives [Purina Films]
George to the Rescue
NBC
With Love, Meghan
Netflix [Sony Pictures Television | The Intellectual Property Corporation (IPC) | Archewell Productions]
The Motherhood
Hallmark Channel | Hallmark+ [Scout Productions | Deep Blue Productions]
The Wizard of Paws
BYUtv [Nomadica Films | The Dodo | Vox Media Studios]
Outstanding Arts and Popular Culture Program
Beyond the Gates: Welcome to the Neighborhood
An Entertainment Tonight Special
CBS Media Ventures
Off Script With The Hollywood Reporter (WINNER)
The Hollywood Reporter [IFC]
Variety & CNN Actors on Actors
CNN Digital | Variety
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
PBS
Working in the Theatre
AmericanTheatreWing.org
Outstanding Daytime Special
Critics Choice 2nd Annual Celebration of LBGTQ+ Cinema & Television
Here TV
Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade
ABC [Disney Yellow Shoes Studios | Film 45 | EverWonder Studio]
Living Proof
Hulu [The DIVA Foundation | Shivelight LLC | Zables & Associates]
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
NBC | Peacock [Done & Dusted]
Unleashing Hope: The Power of Service Dogs for Children with Autism (WINNER)
Hulu [NY27 Productions | Shivelight LLC | Zables & Associates]
Outstanding Daytime Short Form Program
Catalyst
LinkedIn News
Glam Through The Ages (WINNER)
KeyTV Network
Most-Ordered
Eater
The Path with Ryan Roslansky
LinkedIn News
Stand Up and Do Something with Michael Jr.
BYUtv [Monument Pictures]
Outstanding Lead Performer in a Daytime Drama Series: Actress
Stacy Haiduk as Kristen DiMera
Days of our Lives
Peacock [Corday Productions, Inc. | Sony Pictures Television]
Karla Mosley as Dani Dupree
Beyond the Gates
CBS
Michelle Stafford as Phyllis Summers
The Young and the Restless
CBS [Sony Pictures Television]
Heather Tom as Katie Logan
The Bold and the Beautiful
CBS [Bell-Phillip TV Productions, Inc.]
Tamara Tunie as Anita Williams Dupree (WINNER)
Beyond the Gates
CBS
Outstanding Lead Performer in a Daytime Drama Series: Actor
Eric Braeden as Victor Newman
The Young and the Restless
CBS [Sony Pictures Television]
Steve Burton as Jason Morgan
General Hospital
ABC
Scott Clifton as Liam Spencer (WINNER)
The Bold and the Beautiful
CBS [Bell-Phillip TV Productions, Inc.]
Thorsten Kaye as Ridge Forrester
The Bold and the Beautiful
CBS [Bell-Phillip TV Productions, Inc.]
Christian Jules LeBlanc as Michael Baldwin
The Young and the Restless
CBS [Sony Pictures Television]
Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Daytime Drama Series: Actress
Linsey Godfrey as Sarah Horton
Days of our Lives
Peacock [Corday Productions, Inc. | Sony Pictures Television]
Camryn Grimes as Mariah Copeland
The Young and the Restless
CBS [Sony Pictures Television]
Beth Maitland as Traci Abbott (WINNER)
The Young and the Restless
CBS [Sony Pictures Television]
Trisha Mann-Grant as Leslie Thomas
Beyond the Gates
CBS
Amanda Setton as Brook Lynn Quartermaine
General Hospital
ABC
Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Daytime Drama Series: Actor
Sean Dominic as Nate Hastings
The Young and the Restless
CBS [Sony Pictures Television]
Timon Kyle Durrett as Bill Hamilton
Beyond the Gates
CBS
Michael Graziadei as Daniel Romalotti
The Young and the Restless
CBS [Sony Pictures Television]
Roger Howarth as Matt Clark (WINNER)
The Young and the Restless
CBS [Sony Pictures Television]
Mike Manning as Bradley “Smitty” Smith
Beyond the Gates
CBS
Lawrence Saint-Victor as Carter Walton
The Bold and the Beautiful
CBS [Bell-Phillip TV Productions, Inc.]
Outstanding Emerging Talent in a Daytime Drama Series
Braedyn Bruner as Emma Scorpio-Drake
General Hospital
ABC
Al Calderon as Javier Hernandez
Days of our Lives
Peacock [Corday Productions, Inc. | Sony Pictures Television]
Alice Halsey as Rachel Black
Days of our Lives
Peacock [Corday Productions, Inc. | Sony Pictures Television]
Giovanni Mazza as Gio Palmieri
General Hospital
ABC
Ambyr Michelle as Eva Thomas (WINNER)
Beyond the Gates
CBS
Arielle Prepetit as Naomi Hamilton Hawthorne
Beyond the Gates
Outstanding Guest Performance in a Daytime Drama Series
Jasmine Burke as June Hughes
Beyond the Gates
CBS
Jeff Kober as Cyrus Renault (WINNER)
General Hospital
ABC
Eva LaRue as Natalia Rogers-Ramirez
General Hospital
ABC
Christopher Sean as Paul Narita
Days of our Lives
Peacock [Corday Productions, Inc. | Sony Pictures Television]
Ray Wise as Ian Ward
The Young and the Restless
CBS [Sony Pictures Television]
Outstanding Daytime Talk Series Host
Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin & Ana Navarro
The View
ABC
Kelly Clarkson
The Kelly Clarkson Show
NBCUniversal Syndication Studios
Tamron Hall
Tamron Hall
Disney Entertainment Distribution
Jennifer Hudson
The Jennifer Hudson Show
Warner Bros. Television [Telepictures]
Sherri Shepherd (WINNER)
Sherri
Debmar-Mercury
Outstanding Culinary Host
Kardea Brown
Delicious Miss Brown Food Network [FRANK.]
Danielle Chang
Lucky Chow
PBS [Lucky Rice]
Ina Garten (WINNER)
Be My Guest with Ina Garten
Food Network [Pacific Productions]
Pati Jinich
Pati’s Mexican Table
PBS [Mexican Table LLC | Early Light Media]
Andrew Zimmern
Andrew Zimmern’s Wild Game Kitchen
Outdoor Channel [Intuitive Content]
Outstanding Daytime Personality – Daily
Mona Kosar Abdi, Derek Hough & Terri Seymour
Extra
Warner Bros. Television [Telepictures]
Cassie DiLaura, Denny Directo, Kevin Frazier, Rachel Smith & Nischelle Turner
Entertainment Tonight
CBS Media Ventures
Scott Evans, Zuri Hall, Kit Hoover & Mario Lopez
Access Hollywood
NBCUniversal Syndication Studios
Star Jones & Corey Jovan (WINNER)
Divorce Court
FOX
Outstanding Daytime Personality – Non-Daily
Eva zu Beck
Superskilled with Eva zu Beck
National Geographic
Joy Behar, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin & Ana Navarro
The Weekend View
ABC News Live
Derrick Campana
The Wizard of Paws
BYUtv [Nomadica Films | The Dodo | Vox Media Studios]
Giada De Laurentiis (WINNER)
Giada in My Kitchen
Prime Video [Butternut]
Keke Palmer
Glam Through The Ages
KeyTV Network
Joseph Rosendo
Joseph Rosendo’s Steppin’ Out
PBS [Joseph Rosendo Presents]
Outstanding Writing Team for a Daytime Drama Series
Beyond the Gates
CBS
The Bold and the Beautiful
CBS [Bell-Phillip TV Productions, Inc.]
Days of our Lives
Peacock [Corday Productions, Inc. | Sony Pictures Television]
General Hospital (WINNER)
ABC
Outstanding Writing for a Daytime Non-Fiction Series
Ask This Old House
Thank You Roger Cook
PBS | Roku [This Old House Productions]
Expedition Unknown (WINNER – TIE)
Searching for World War II’s Lost Hero
Discovery Channel [Ping Pong Productions]
Joseph Rosendo’s Steppin’ Out
Cuba
PBS [Joseph Rosendo Presents]
Lucky Chow
Made in Taiwan
PBS [Lucky Rice]
This Old House (WINNER – TIE)
Asheville Rebuilds
PBS | Roku [This Old House Productions]
Outstanding Directing Team for a Daytime Drama Series
Days of our Lives (WINNER)
Peacock [Corday Productions, Inc. | Sony Pictures Television]
General Hospital
ABC
The Young and the Restless
CBS [Sony Pictures Television]
Outstanding Directing for a Daytime Non-Studio Non-Fiction Series
A Different Breed (WINNER)
The Season Begins
InkBlot Narratives [Purina Films]
Let Frankie Cook
Pasta From Scratch
Tastemade [Linguine Pictures]
Samantha Brown’s Places To Love
Crystal Coast of North Carolina
PBS [Samantha Brown Media]
Superskilled with Eva zu Beck
How I Survived a Trek Through the Desert Alone
National Geographic
The Wizard of Paws
Buster’s New Kicks
BYUtv [Nomadica Films | The Dodo | Vox Media Studios]
Outstanding Directing for a Daytime Studio Non-Fiction Series
Craft Roundtables
Editors
IndieWire.com
The Drew Barrymore Show
Episode 5127
CBS Media Ventures
Entertainment Tonight
Episode 45.7
CBS
The Kelly Clarkson Show (WINNER)
Episode 5033
NBCUniversal Syndication Studios
TODAY with Jenna & Friends
Hoda-Bration
NBC
Outstanding Music Direction and Composition for a Daytime Program
Beyond the Gates
Episode 103
CBS
Have Guitar Will Travel World
The Shetland Sound
PBS [Have Guitar Will Travel World, LLC]
The Kelly Clarkson Show
Episode 5033
NBCUniversal Syndication Studios
Let Frankie Cook
Getting the Band Back Together
Tastemade [Linguine Pictures]
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (WINNER)
NBC | Peacock [Done & Dusted]
Outstanding Technical Direction and Video for a Daytime Program
Beyond the Gates
Episode 104
CBS
The Bold and the Beautiful
Episode 9511
CBS [Bell-Phillip TV Productions, Inc.]
Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade
ABC [Disney Yellow Shoes Studios | Film 45 | EverWonder Studio]
The Jennifer Hudson Show
Episode 4041
Warner Bros. Television [Telepictures]
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (WINNER)
NBC | Peacock [Done & Dusted]
Outstanding Cinematography or Camerawork for a Daytime Program
Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade
ABC [Disney Yellow Shoes Studios | Film 45 | EverWonder Studio]
France Made with Love
PBS [Symbio Studios]
General Hospital
Episode 15719
ABC
Long Way Home (WINNER)
Lost in Lapland
Apple [Long Way Productions]
Superskilled with Eva zu Beck
They Climb in Skirts… I Tried to Keep Up
National Geographic
TrueSouth
Ocean Springs, MS
ESPN | ABC | SEC Network [Bluefoot Entertainment]
Outstanding Editing for a Daytime Non-Studio Program
A Different Breed (WINNER)
The Season Begins
InkBlot Narratives [Purina Films]
Expedition Unknown
Great Pyramid Secrets Revealed
Discovery Channel [Ping Pong Productions]
King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch
Ken-ichiwa!
Netflix [Spoke Studios | Omaha Productions | Full Day Productions]
Long Way Home
Deep in the Forest
Apple [Long Way Productions]
The Wizard of Paws
Buster’s New Kicks
BYUtv [Nomadica Films | Vox Media Studios | The Dodo]
Outstanding Editing for a Daytime Studio Program
Craft Roundtables (WINNER)
Editors
IndieWire.com
The Drew Barrymore Show
Episode 5137
CBS Media Ventures
Extra
Extra at the Emmys
Warner Bros. Television Group [Telepictures]
The Kelly Clarkson Show
Episode 5033
NBCUniversal Syndication Studios
Outstanding Sound Mixing and Sound Editing for a Prerecorded Daytime Program
Bare Feet with Mickela Mallozzi
Wild Atlantic Way North, Ireland
PBS [Sauce & Liver Productions, LLC]
Dream of Europe
London Part 1 with Abbey Road Studios
PBS [Dream of Italy Productions, LLC]
Expedition Unknown
The Man-Eating Lions of Kenya
Discovery Channel [Ping Pong Productions]
Forever Young with Dr. Pablo Prichard
Wheel Of Age
NBC [Hearst Media Production Group | Agency X]
Long Way Home (WINNER)
Lost in Lapland
Apple [Long Way Productions]
Outstanding Sound Mixing and Sound Editing for a Live Daytime Program
The Bold and the Beautiful
Episode 9658
CBS [Bell-Phillip TV Productions, Inc.]
The Jennifer Hudson Show
Episode 4039
Warner Bros. Television [Telepictures]
The Kelly Clarkson Show (WINNER)
Episode 5007
NBCUniversal Syndication Studios
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
NBC | Peacock [Done & Dusted]
The Young and the Restless
Episode 13260
CBS [Sony Pictures Television]
Outstanding Lighting Direction for a Daytime Program
Beyond the Gates (WINNER)
Episode 104
CBS
General Hospital
Episode 15624
ABC
The Jennifer Hudson Show
Episode 4010
Warner Bros. Television [Telepictures]
The Kelly Clarkson Show
Episode 6169
NBCUniversal Syndication Studios
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
NBC | Peacock [Done & Dusted]
Outstanding Art Direction / Set Decoration / Scenic Design for a Daytime Program
The Kelly Clarkson Show (WINNER)
Episode 5033
NBCUniversal Syndication Studios
Live with Kelly and Mark
Episode 250414
Disney Entertainment Distribution
The View
Episode 6280
ABC
The Young and the Restless
Episode 13145
CBS [Sony Pictures Television]
The Young and the Restless
Episode 13244
CBS [Sony Pictures Television]
Outstanding Costume Design / Styling for a Daytime Program
The Jennifer Hudson Show
Episode 4140
Warner Bros. Television [Telepictures]
The Kelly Clarkson Show
Episode 5033
NBCUniversal Syndication Studios
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
NBC | Peacock [Done & Dusted]
The Young and the Restless
Episode 13149
CBS [Sony Pictures Television]
The Young and the Restless (WINNER)
Episode 13273
CBS [Sony Pictures Television]
Outstanding Hairstyling and Makeup for a Daytime Program
Beyond the Gates (WINNER – TIE)
Episode 103
CBS
General Hospital
Episode 15719
ABC
The Kelly Clarkson Show (WINNER – TIE)
Episode 5033
NBCUniversal Syndication Studios
The Young and the Restless
Episode 13273
CBS [Sony Pictures Television]
Outstanding Casting for a Daytime Program
Beyond the Gates
CBS
General Hospital (WINNER)
ABC
The Young and the Restless
CBS [Sony Pictures Television]
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
