The 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards nominations announcement is underway. Some of the early nominations include the recently concluded talk shows “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (recognized as a talk series and talk host) and “Sherri” (recognized as a talk host).
The Daytime Emmy Awards, administered by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, honor daytime drama, talk series, entertainment news, cooking, adventure, educational programming, and legal/courtroom programming. This year’s Lifetime Achievement recipients, Gold & Silver Circle Hall of Fame inductees, and master of ceremonies will be announced at a later date.
The Daytime Emmy Awards used to be held in June, but last year they were held in mid-fall. The 2026 event is scheduled to be held as a single ceremony in Los Angeles on Friday, October 30th.
“We are proud to celebrate the outstanding talent and creative teams that continue to define and elevate daytime television,” said Adam Sharp, president and CEO of NATAS. “As the daytime landscape evolves and new forms of storytelling emerge, we remain committed to recognizing the innovations happening across our industry.”
This year’s Daytime Emmy nominations come after several rule changes were announced this spring. Among the changes, submissions will now be episode-based, known as a “primetime format,” allowing shows to enter multiple submissions for different episodes and potentially receive multiple nominations.
Additionally, NATAS, similar to the Primetime Emmy Awards, has chosen to determine the number of nominations a category receives based on the size of its submissions. The default number of recommendations within a category is:
10-29 applications: 5 nominations
30-59 applications: 6 nominations
60-89 applications: 7 nominations
90-119 applications: 8 nominations
120-149 applications: 9 nominations
150+ applications: 10 nominations
If there are fewer than 10 posts in a category, the default number of nominations will be 50% of the posts in the category, rounded up to the nearest whole number. There are no nominations for categories with three or fewer entries, “but if the categories are not merged or eliminated, the National Awards Committee may award awards based on criteria of excellence.”
Meanwhile, there are new criteria in place to qualify as a guest actor on a daytime drama (“To qualify for the guest category, you must appear in up to 19% of episodes aired/streamed for the first time during the 2025 calendar year. Otherwise, you must enter in a category that is only eligible in the lead, supporting, or emerging talent categories.”)
Also, the Science and Nature program category will be removed in daytime, as programs will need to be submitted to Primetime, News & Documents, or Children’s & Family, depending on eligibility.
Finally, daytime dramas and non-fiction programs will enter the category, excluding scriptwriting and direction, in parallel. If both daytime drama and daytime nonfiction receive at least 10 entries each, the categories will be split again.
NATAS Productions is behind the Daytime Emmy Awards. Adam Sharp and Lara Gates will serve as executive producers, and Leon Knowles will return as ceremony director for a fifth consecutive year. “Each year, the Daytime Emmy Awards celebrate the creativity, passion and dedication that propel this vibrant community of storytellers,” said Rachel Schwartz, head of the Daytime Emmy Awards. “To this year’s nominees, their work continues to entertain, inspire and connect with audiences every day. We look forward to celebrating their incredible achievements in Hollywood this October.”
This year’s nominations are: It begins Monday night with four categories announced during broadcasts of entertainment newsmagazines “Extra” and “Entertainment Tonight.”
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Daytime Drama Series: Actress
Stacy Haiduk as Kristen DiMera, “Days of Our Lives” (Peacock (Corday Productions | Sony Pictures Television)) Kara Mosley as Dani Dupree, “Beyond the Gate” (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, “Beyond the Gates” (CBS)
Outstanding Leading Actor 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, “The Bold and the Beautiful” (CBS (Belle Philippe Television Productions)) Thorsten Kaye as Ridge Forrester, “The Bold and the Beautiful” (CBS (Bel Philippe Television)) Productions, Inc.)) Christian Jules LeBlanc as Michael Baldwin, “The Young and the Restless” (CBS (Sony Pictures Television))
Excellent daytime talk series
“The Third Hour of Today” (NBC) “The Drew Barrymore Show” (CBS Media Ventures) “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (NBC Universal Syndication Studios) “Live with Kelly and Mark” (Disney Entertainment Distribution) “Today with Jenna & Friends” (NBC) “The View” (ABC)
Excellent daytime talk series host
Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Alyssa Farrah Griffin, Sarah Haines, Sunny Hostin, Ana Navarro, “The View” (ABC) Kelly Clarkson, “The Kelly Clarkson Show” (NBC Universal Syndication Studios) Tamron Hall, “Tamron Hall” (Disney Entertainment Distribution) Jennifer Hudson, “The Jennifer Hudson Show” (Warner Bros. Television) (Telepicture)) Sherri Shepherd, “Shelly” (Debmar Mercury)
More announcements are expected as the remaining nominees are announced Tuesday morning.
