General Hospital’s Nancy Lee Grahn Hosts Daytime Emmy Lead Actress Nominees Dinner
General Hospital star Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis Davis), last year’s Daytime Emmy winner for Outstanding Lead Actress, hosted the five actresses nominated in the category this year for dinner, carrying on a tradition started in 2005 by The Bold and the Beautiful legend Susan Flannery (ex-Stephanie Forrester).
Nancy Lee Grahn Hosts Star-Studded Dinner
Joining Grahn for the gathering at her home on Wednesday, October 28 were past winners Heather Tom (Katie Logan Spencer, B&B) and Michelle Stafford (Phyllis Summers, The Young and the Restless), first-time nominees Karla Mosley (Dani Dupree, Beyond the Gates) and Tamara Tunie (Anita Dupree, Beyond the Gates), and Stacy Haiduk (Kristen DiMera, Days of our Lives/Patty Williams, Y&R), who has previously been nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress but is a first-time Lead Actress contender.
“This is SO special❤️🌸,” said Michelle Stafford on Instagram, where she shared photos from the evening. “A beautiful night with truly beautiful, extraordinary women.”
The Y&R star went on to muse, “What an incredible tradition that Susan Flannery started. Instead of women competing against each other. Here we have five women who have become friends, lifting each other up and supporting each other. We walk into friday night with a true gift of friendship. ❤️ Thank you @nancyleegrahn for opening up your beautiful home and catering this incredible dinner.”
Grahn’s four-legged companion also received a shout-out from Stafford, who wrote, “Thank you #Dylan for being a good girl for the picture! 🐶”
In the comment section, Karla Mosley chimed in, declaring, “The best best best.”
Grahn shared a video of the celebration on her own Instagram, which showed Tunie, Mosley, Stafford, Haiduk and Tom laughing and chatting over a catered feast of roast chicken, asparagus, heirloom tomatoes and other treats.
“We’ll see who lives to show up to the Emmys,” Grahn teased.
Past Outstanding Supporting Actress winner Kate Mansi, who played Kristina Corinthos-Davis, the daughter of Grahn’s Alexis, on GH, wrote in the comments, “What company you keep ma! 😍”
Previous Lead Actress winner — and past nominee gathering host — Eileen Davidson (Ashley Abbott, Y&R) weighed in on Stafford’s post, writing, “Congratulations to all of you extraordinary women!!!”
Usually held as a luncheon, the gathering of the Daytime Emmy Lead Actress nominees began 21 years ago, when the eight performers nominated that year came together for a meal. Stafford recalled to TV Insider that Susan Flannery paid the bill without the other women’s knowledge, and when they tried to protest, “She said, ‘You know what? Whoever wins tomorrow, you’re paying next year.’ And that’s how it started. And then Erika Slezak [ex-Viki Lord, One Life to Live] won, and she got up on stage and says, ‘All right, I guess I’m paying next year.’ And it just continued on, which is really cool.”
This year’s ceremony will take place on Friday, October 30 in Los Angeles.
Check out Grahn’s video below.
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