2026 Daytime Emmys

[Emelee]

The nominations are out:
https://deadline.com/lists/daytime-emmy-nominations-2026/

Some of the categories:

Daytime Drama Series​

Beyond the Gates
Days of Our Lives
General Hospital
The Young and the Restless

​

Writing Team:​

Beyond the Gates
The Bold and the Beautiful
Days of Our Lives
General Hospital

Directing Team:​

Days of Our Lives
General Hospital
The Young and the Restless

Guest Performance​

Jasmine Burke as June Hughes
Beyond the Gates

Jeff Kober as Cyrus Renault
General Hospital

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

Emerging Talent​

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

Ambyr Michelle as Eva Thomas
Beyond the Gates

Arielle Prepetit as Naomi Hamilton Hawthorne
Beyond the Gates

Supporting Performance – Actor​

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

Roger Howarth as Matt Clark
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

Supporting Performance – Actress​

Linsey Godfrey as Sarah Horton
Days of our Lives

Camryn Grimes as Mariah Copeland
The Young and the Restless

Beth Maitland as Traci Abbott
The Young and the Restless

Trisha Mann-Grant as Leslie Thomas
Beyond the Gates

Amanda Setton as Brook Lynn Quartermaine
General Hospital

Lead Performance – Actor​

Eric Braeden as Victor Newman
The Young and the Restless

Steve Burton as Jason Morgan
General Hospital

Scott Clifton as Liam Spencer
The Bold and the Beautiful

Thorsten Kaye as Ridge Forrester
The Bold and the Beautiful

Christian Jules LeBlanc as Michael Baldwin
The Young and the Restless

Lead Performance – Actress​

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

Tamara Tunie as Anita Williams Dupree
Beyond the Gates



Summary:
Young and the Restless: 18 nominations
Beyond the Gates: 15 nominations
General Hospital: 13 nominations
Days of our Lives: 8 nominations
Bold and the Beautiful: 7 nominations

 

[Daniel Avery]

One has to keep in mind that the noms are for performances that occurred in the calendar year 2025, so it's more difficult to remember things that happened that long ago (recency bias and all). That said, I was hoping they would nominate Katelyn MacMullen (Willow, GH) for either Supporting or Lead Actress for her work before, during, and after Willow's murder trial.

 

[Emelee]

One should also remember that a number of actors do not submit. Jane Elliot (Tracy, GH) is one. And quite obviously, Erika Slezak (Ronnie, GH) can't possibly have submitted. That's the only reason imaginable why she's not nominated for the guest category.

That being said, there are a few WTF with these nominations. Like;

- Why is Christian LeBlanc nominated for lead actor? He's hardly ever on the show, and is only recurring.

- Did Clifton Davis not submit?

- Did Katelyn MacMullen not submit?

- What did Thorsten Kaye and Eric Braeden do in 2025 to get nominated? Did they score nominations just out of habit?

- I can't remember Heather Tom doing anything special for 2025 either. Or Michelle Stafford. Habit there too?

- Should not Timon Durrett be in the lead actor category? Surely, if Christian LeBlanc is in lead, so would Timon. Or preferably, switch category with each other!

- The lead actor and lead actress categories feel so weak this year!


On the positive side, the emerging talent category is very strong this year.

 

[Emelee]

My hopes for the wins:

Lead actress: Tamara Tunie
Fierce and strong corner stone of BTG. Did great with the Barbara story last year.

Lead actor: Steve Burton
His scenes after Monica died were terrific. Much more memorable than the scenes by the other nominees.

Supporting actress: Jane Elliot Amanda Setton or Trisha Mann-Grant
Setton did great with the Gio reveal and Mann-Grant with the fighting between Leslie and Eva.

Supporting actor: Timon Durrett
Again, why is he in the supporting category?

Emerging talent: boy, this is difficult! But I will go with Giovanni Mazza for his blow up at the Nurses ball. But I'd be glad for Braedyn Bruner and Ambyr Michelle also.

Guest: Erika Slezak Jeff Kober
Kober is up for the guest category both for the Daytime Emmy and Primetime Emmy (The Pitt)

Best drama: General Hospital
It just is the best one. Period.

Best writing: General Hospital or Beyond the Gates

Best directing: ?
I have never been good at judging directing work.

 

[Monzo]

It really surprises me that Y&R, of all shows, received the most nominations, especially given the constant complaints—dating back to 2025, not just recently—about the significant decline in the soap's quality. On the other hand, Y&R’s current storylines demand a great deal from the actors involved, so the high number of nominations for acting performances actually makes perfect sense.

For me, GH remains the best drama, but BTG also has a good chance of winning; it has managed to set itself apart from other soaps—especially in its dialogue—while fitting perfectly into the CBS lineup, as its (slow) narrative pace is exactly what CBS viewers expect from their soaps. As far as the writing team goes, I rate GH ahead, and the same applies to the directing team.

Steve Burton brought a depth to the scenes where Jason mourns Monica that I hadn't seen from him before; that is why he is my pick for Best Lead Actor, followed by Scott Clifton, who delivered a solid performance as a "dying" Liam. I assume Thorsten Kaye is nominated for the storyline surrounding Eric's forced retirement, whereas Eric Braeden essentially delivers the same thing year after year: either concern for a family member in a health crisis or intense rage toward an enemy. Christian Jules(?!?) LeBlanc is likely nominated due to the rift between Michael and his father figure Victor, though I view him more as a supporting actor than a lead.

For me, the winner in the Lead Actress category is Tamara Tunie; she launched the role of the BTG matriarch perfectly and deserves to be rewarded for it. Karla Mosley is also doing a great job and will hopefully win in a future year. Stacy Haiduk never disappoints on Days, and neither does Michelle Stafford on Y&R—she really had to step up her game, especially during the kidnapping storyline with Sharon last year. My theory as to why Heather Tom is constantly nominated is that she comes across incredibly well on her Emmy reel because her scene partners are weak; Don Diamont, Crew Morrow, and Katherine Kelly Lang aren't exactly top-tier actors, making Heather Tom look like Meryl Streep by comparison.

I hadn't expected Sean Dominic to be nominated for Supporting Actor, and while I’m very happy for him, he unfortunately isn't the strongest of the nominees. Mike Manning’s nomination surprised me too, though Timon Kyle Durrett’s didn't really. It ought to come down to Michael Graziadei and Roger Howarth. I feel Roger Howarth is showing more of his range this year; in 2025, he was basically just the standard soap psycho, so I would give the Emmy to Michael Graziadei.

Beth Maitland is my choice for Best Supporting Actress, even though Camryn Grimes also delivered a strong performance. Linsey Godfrey has really developed as an actress, as has Amanda Setton. Trisha Mann-Grant is a scene-stealer, but the Y&R actresses were simply stronger in 2025.

I’d be genuinely surprised if Alice Halsey doesn’t win Emerging Talent. She has momentum on her side thanks to her lead role in the Little House on the Prairie remake (though that didn't turn out to be the streaming hit everyone expected—it's just doing okay). As for the other nominations, they seem pretty evenly matched to me; no one really stands out above the rest.

What surprises me a bit regarding the Guest Performance category is that Colleen Zenk wasn't nominated, even given this last chance. She appeared repeatedly on Y&R as Aunt Jordan over the course of three years, and in my view, she deserved a nomination every single time—yet she never received one. Her scene partner from 2025, Ray Wise, did get nominated again, however; like her, he always delivers a strong performance. The odd thing about the Guest Performance category is that some nominees are essentially supporting characters—GH's Natalia and BTG's June—whereas others were indeed just guests (sometimes appearing only briefly). It would certainly be nice if Jeff Kober won both a Daytime Emmy and a Primetime Emmy (for The Pitt) in the same category, but Ray Wise would also be a solid choice for the win.

 

[Daniel Avery]

What surprises me a bit regarding the Guest Performance category is that Colleen Zenk wasn't nominated, even given this last chance. She appeared repeatedly on Y&R as Aunt Jordan over the course of three years, and in my view, she deserved a nomination every single time—yet she never received one.

Real life sometimes interferes with the nominations. I'm not saying this might have affected her being nominated, but one never can tell.

https://people.com/actress-colleen-zenk-arrested-dui-charges-florida-12010107

The only nominee that leaps out at me is Supporting Actress Beth Maitland (Traci on Y&R). She's been so, so good over the decades and the character has become the heart and soul of the Abbotts. Hers is the very definition of what a "supporting character" should be.