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Daytime’s Biggest Celebration: Highlights from the 52nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards

Daytime television rolled out the red carpet for its biggest event of the year — the 52nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards — a night packed with excitement, emotional speeches, and historic wins. Hosted by Access Hollywood’s Mario Lopez, the show opened on a high note as General Hospital’s Alley Mills claimed the first trophy of the evening for Outstanding Guest Actor.

For the first time, the Creative Arts Awards and the main Daytime Emmy Awards were combined into one grand celebration, streamed live on watch.theemmys.tv. The format change gave fans an all-in-one experience — and what a night it turned out to be.

As expected, General Hospital dominated the major soap opera categories, winning Outstanding Drama Series, Writing Team, Directing Team, Costume Design, and three acting awards. But there were surprises, too — like Days of Our Lives’ Paul Telfer taking home Outstanding Lead Actor, while General Hospital’s Jonathan Jackson earned Outstanding Supporting Actor, a more predictable but well-deserved victory.

Soap legends also took center stage: General Hospital’s Nancy Lee Grahn and The Young and the Restless’ Susan Walters were crowned Outstanding Lead Actress and Outstanding Supporting Actress, respectively. The Bold and the Beautiful’s rising star Lisa Yamada made history as the first-ever winner of the Outstanding Emerging Talent Daytime Emmy, visibly moved by the honor.

The evening also paid tribute to industry icons. General Hospital’s Jane Elliot joined the prestigious Gold Circle, while Days of Our Lives’ James Reynolds, The Young and the Restless’ Kate Linder, The View’s Star Jones, Divorce Court’s Judy Blye Wilson, and Greg Barna were inducted into the Silver Circle for their lasting contributions to daytime television.

In the talk show world, The Drew Barrymore Show and Live with Kelly and Mark swept the major categories, while Food Network’s Kardea Brown took home two emotional wins for Culinary Host and Culinary Instructional Series. Longtime Inside Edition anchor Deborah Norville was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award, celebrating her decades-long career and legacy in daytime news.

Beyond soaps and talk shows, Netflix’s Black Barbie emerged as a breakout success, winning both Outstanding Arts and Popular Culture Program and Outstanding Writing Team for a Daytime Non-Fiction Series — a major moment for streaming content in the daytime sphere.

And in one of the night’s most touching moments, Sir David Attenborough, at 99 years old, became the oldest Daytime Emmy winner in history, receiving the award for Outstanding Daytime Personality – Non-Daily for Secret Lives of Orangutans. His win was met with a standing ovation and emotional tributes across the industry.

Now, it’s your turn to join the conversation. What did you think of the 2025 Daytime Emmy Awards?
Grade the ceremony and cast your vote — how did this year’s celebration of daytime television stack up?

(This story was first reported by Daytime Confidential on October 18, 2025, in the Awards & Award Shows section.)