‘General Hospital’ Takes Top Drama Prize at 2026 Daytime Emmys
WHO:
Gold Derby - Beth Maitland won her second Daytime Emmy for Best Supporting Actress, 41 years after winning the same award for the same role, Traci Abbott, in 1985.
Gold Derby - General Hospital casting director Mark Teschner won his 12th Daytime Emmy for Best Casting in a Daytime Drama Series.
Gold Derby - Jonathan Frakes presented Genie Francis with her lifetime achievement award.
Gold Derby - Noel Maxam, Days of Our Lives co-executive producer and director, said the directing team’s winning episodes featured John Black’s memorial.
Gold Derby - Ambyr Michelle became the first acting winner from Beyond the Gates, winning Best Emerging Talent for Eva Thomas.
The Hollywood Reporter - *General Hospital* won Outstanding Daytime Drama Series; Genie Francis received a lifetime achievement award.
The Hollywood Reporter - *Beyond the Gates* won four awards. Tamara Tunie won Outstanding Lead Performer in a Daytime Drama Series: Actress for playing Anita Williams Dupree; it was her first Daytime Emmy.
The Hollywood Reporter - Scott Clifton of *The Bold and the Beautiful* won Outstanding Lead Performer in a Daytime Drama Series: Actor for playing Liam Spencer.
The Hollywood Reporter - *The Young and the Restless* led the nominees with 18 nominations and won three awards. Roger Howarth won Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Daytime Drama Series: Actor; Beth Maitland won the supporting actress award.
The Hollywood Reporter - Heather Tom of *The Bold and the Beautiful* was nominated for lead actress; a win would have been her seventh and made her daytime history’s most-awarded actress.
Deadline - *Beyond the Gates* won four Daytime Emmys in its first year of eligibility, including awards in the lead actor and emerging actress categories.
The Hollywood Reporter - NATAS chair Terry O’Reilly delivered a speech about press freedom and creative expression. He said, “The free press in 1800 was not saved by a court. It was saved by citizens who were engaged and informed,” and called for resistance to “those who would seek comfort in a quieter media.”
WHAT:
Gold Derby - General Hospital’s writing team won for episodes involving the death of Monica, played by the late Leslie Charleson.
Gold Derby - Days of Our Lives ended General Hospital’s six-year winning streak in the directing-team category.
Gold Derby - Scott Clifton said he has won five Daytime Emmys but owns four statuettes; his first award had a rattling sound, and the replacement arrived without the return box.
Gold Derby - Clifton’s Emmy reel included scenes about Liam’s fatal brain tumor, his collapse with his father Bill, and Liam and Hope acknowledging that he was dying. He submitted about half of the permitted 15 minutes, keeping the reel under eight minutes.
Gold Derby - General Hospital’s casting reel featured 15 actors, including Erika Slezak, Rory Gibson, Carlo Rota and Chris McKenna.
The Hollywood Reporter - *General Hospital* entered the ceremony with 13 nominations and won four awards in total, including best daytime drama.
The Hollywood Reporter - Other winners included *The Kelly Clarkson Show*, with five awards including best daytime talk series; Sherri Shepherd, best daytime talk series host; Tracee Ellis Ross, best travel and adventure program for *Solo Traveling*; Keke Palmer, for executive producing *Glam Through the Ages*; and Ina Garten, best culinary host.
The Hollywood Reporter - The Hollywood Reporter won its first Daytime Emmy, for best arts and popular culture program for *Off Script*. IndieWire won best editing for a daytime studio program for its craft roundtables.
The Hollywood Reporter - O’Reilly cited journalists being barred from covering the Pentagon and president, a DOJ antitrust investigation into the White House TV press pool, and a challenge to the news exemption for programs including *The View*.
WHERE:
The Hollywood Reporter - The 53rd Daytime Emmy Awards ceremony was held at the Hollywood Palladium.
Deadline - The ceremony was streamed on YouTube.
WHEN:
The Hollywood Reporter - The ceremony took place Friday night.
The Hollywood Reporter - O’Reilly’s speech referred to the 2026 midterm elections and said they would take place Tuesday.
WHY:
Gold Derby - Clifton said the Daytime Emmy eligibility rules protect daytime performers because actors can submit work from within the eligibility period even when the storyline aired earlier.
The Hollywood Reporter - O’Reilly warned that suppressing political speech could lead to suppression of creative expression, including stories, characters, and viewpoints.
HOW:
Gold Derby - Mark Teschner said his casting reel began with Erika Slezak and included performers new to Port Charles in 2025.
Deadline - *Beyond the Gates* received its four awards at the annual ceremony in its first year of eligibility.
(UPDATED October 31, 2026 19:00 UTC)
General Hospital won best daytime drama, while Beyond the Gates took four awards. Beth Maitland earned her second supporting actress Emmy for playing Traci Abbott. Genie Francis received a lifetime achievement award, as organizers warned press freedom faces threats.
--
(UPDATED October 31, 2026 13:58 UTC)
General Hospital won best daytime drama, while Beyond the Gates earned four Daytime Emmys. The Kelly Clarkson Show collected five awards, and Scott Clifton won lead actor. NATAS chair Terry O’Reilly warned press freedom and creative expression face mounting threats.