Daytime Emmy Award Winners Announced
LOS ANGELES (December 15, 2023) – The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) tonight announced the winners of the 50th Annual Daytime Emmy® Awards. The ceremony was presented live this evening at 9 PM EDT (delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network. The ceremony was hosted by “Entertainment Tonight” hosts Kevin Frazier & Nischelle Turner and featured a special performance by Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter Jennifer Nettles.
As part of the 50th anniversary celebration, the show honored “legends” of daytime, including 1991 Lead Actor winner Peter Bergman (The Young and the Restless), 1998 Lead Actress winner Cynthia Watros, 2005 Supporting Actor winner Greg Rikaart, and 1980 Supporting Actress winner Francesca James, presenting alongside last year’s respective four acting winners. In addition, tributes were paid to Emmy® Award-winning daytime dramas “The Young and the Restless” for its 50th anniversary on CBS and ABC’s “General Hospital” for its 60th anniversary.
“Congratulations to all of tonight’s winners for their exceptional contributions to the world of daytime. Tonight, as we commemorated our 50th anniversary with the legends of television, we were thrilled to celebrate Susan Lucci with a Lifetime Achievement Honor, as she has left an indelible mark in the hearts and minds of viewers,” said Adam Sharp, President & CEO, NATAS.
The Lifetime Achievement Honor was presented to Susan Lucci by Shemar Moore in an awards show reunion for the duo. Moore famously presented Ms. Lucci her Daytime Emmy Award in 1999 after she was nominated in the Best Actress category 19 times for her portrayal of Erica Kane in “All My Children.” At the time of opening the envelope, he famously exclaimed, “The streak is over!” in what is frequently cited as one of the greatest awards show moments in history.
Connie Chung presented the In Memoriam segment, which paid tribute to the stars and contributors in the field of daytime that we lost this past year, taking a moment to honor Barabara Walters, who passed away December 30, 2022, and then introduced Jennifer Nettles who performed “Life is Sweet.” The song originally premiered on Ms. Nettles’ television show “American Anthems” produced by NBC Universal Syndication Studios and Believe Entertainment.
Presenters for the evening were a veritable who’s who of Daytime, including Lauralee Bell (The Young and the Restless), Michael Damian (The Young and the Restless), Don Diamont (The Bold and the Beautiful), Mary Beth Evans (Days of Our Lives), Akbar Gbajabiamila (The Talk), Drake Hogestyn (Days of Our Lives), Finola Hughes (General Hospital), Amanda Kloots (The Talk), A Martinez (The Bay), Melody Thomas Scott (The Young and the Restless), Sherri Shepherd (Sherri), Heather Tom (The Bold and the Beautiful), Donnell Turner (General Hospital), Kym Whitley (The Bay), and Laura Wright (General Hospital). Maury Povich made a special appearance to present the Gold & Silver Circle Inductees.
The Daytime Emmy Awards have recognized outstanding achievement in television programming and crafts since 1974, honoring work in a variety of categories, including daytime dramas, talk shows, instructional programming, hosting, and legal/courtroom programs. In 2021, the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) and the Television Academy jointly announced plans to realign the Daytime and Primetime Emmy Awards to be organized by content genre, as opposed to program airtime. In addition, in recognition of the marked increase in content and entries for children’s programming, 2022 was the first annual Children’s & Family Emmy Awards, with relevant categories separating from the Daytime Emmys into their own competition and ceremony.
All awards are judged by a pool of more than 1,000 peer professionals from across the television industry, whose confidential ballots were then tabulated by the independent accounting firm of Lutz & Carr, LLP.
About NATAS
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) is a service organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of television and the promotion of creative leadership for artistic, educational, and technical achievements within the television industry. It recognizes excellence in television with the coveted Emmy Awards for News & Documentary, Sports, Daytime, and Children’s & Family programming, as well as achievements in television Technology & Engineering.
NATAS membership consists of more than 18,000 broadcast and media professionals represented in 19 regional chapters across the country. Beyond awards, NATAS has extensive educational programs including regional student television and its Student Award for Excellence and the National Student Production Awards for outstanding journalistic work by high school students, as well as scholarships, publications, and major activities for both industry professionals and the viewing public.
CONTACTS
SMITHHOUSE for NATAS
NATAS@smithhousestrategy.com
B. Harlan Boll, NATAS PR
harlan@bhbpr.com
