The 50th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards were held on December 15, 2023, celebrating excellence in daytime television across a variety of categories. The glamorous event saw several repeats in the major acting categories, while long-running soap opera General Hospital cemented its dynasty with 6 wins.
General Hospital Leads the Way
General Hospital was the biggest winner of the night, picking up 6 Daytime Emmys including Outstanding Drama Series. The ABC soap also dominated the acting categories, with Outstanding Lead Actor going to Steve Burton, Outstanding Lead Actress to Maura West, and Outstanding Supporting Actress to Kelly Thiebaud. (source)
General Hospital executive producer Frank Valentini accepted the Drama Series award, thanking the cast and crew. “What an amazing milestone this is for all of us,” he said. “We stand on your shoulders.” (source)
In addition, General Hospital actorsJeff Kober and Sonya Eddy (posthumously) picked up Emmys in the supporting categories.
“Wow, this validates all that hard work at General Hospital,” said an elated Steve Burton backstage after his Lead Actor win. (source)
Kelly Clarkson Repeats as Talk Show Host
In the talk show categories, Kelly Clarkson was a double winner for the second consecutive year, picking up Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host for her self-titled talk show. (source)
“Thank you so much to @BNC for these awards!” Clarkson tweeted. “Truly an honor to win two years in a row!”
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show | “The Kelly Clarkson Show” |
| Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host | Kelly Clarkson |
Clarkson first burst onto the scene winning the inaugural season of American Idol in 2002. Two decades later, her infectious personality and interview style have made her a Daytime Emmy favorite.
“I love daytime television,” said an emotional Clarkson in her acceptance speech. “It’s an honor to be a small part of this community.”
Familiar Faces in Lead Acting Categories
In addition to Steve Burton’s Lead Actor win, General Hospital’s Maura West picked up her third career Lead Actress trophy.
Both West and Burton had previously won Emmys in the Lead Acting categories and their victories mark continuations of Daytime Emmy dynasties.
On the soap opera front, last year’s Lead Actor winner Mishael Morgan became the first Black actor to win a Lead category, but did not repeat this year. Former winners Maurice Benard (General Hospital) and Peter Bergman (The Young and the Restless) were also nominated but did not win.
Tributes to Barbara Walters, Susan Lucci
The annual Lifetime Achievement Award went to broadcasting pioneer Barbara Walters, who taped an acceptance speech earlier in the week. Walters passed away on December 30 at age 93.
“I’ve had an amazing life and career,” Walters said in the taped segment, which drew a standing ovation from the crowd.
Iconic soap star Susan Lucci also received a rousing ovation when introduced to present an award. The former All My Children mainstay playfully vamped to show she’s “still got it” at age 76. Lucci held the record for the most Daytime Emmy nominations without a win until finally claiming a trophy in 1999 after 19 tries.
Looking Ahead to 2024
With the milestone 50th anniversary show wrapping another year of honors, focus now shifts to the 2024 ceremony.
There figures to be more movement in the top acting categories next year. General Hospital will look to extend its record Drama Series winning streak to 16 in a row.
Kelly Clarkson will try for the three-peat as Talk Show Host, but faces pressure from Drew Barrymore in that race.
The Daytime Emmys have proved to be dynastic in nature across the decades. But there is always pressure from an emerging crop of talent looking to unseat longtime favorites. That push and pull will continue to unfold when the stars come out again next year to celebrate the best of daytime television.
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