Daytime Emmys 2026: Inside The Winners Circle With Stars of General Hospital, Young and Restless and More!

“Oh, dear. I’m speechless,” announced Scott Clifton (Liam, B&B) as he accepted his Daytime Emmy for Lead Actor. “You know, literally, I don’t have a speech.” The actor, who has already won three Daytime Emmys, one of which was in the same category, went on to say, “This means so much to me — not the thing, the 'attaboy' from my peers. I can think of few things that bring me more joy than that.” Clifton gave a big shout-out to his fellow nominees, Eric Braeden (Victor, Y&R), Thorsten Kaye (Ridge, B&B) and Christian LeBlanc (Michael, Y&R), saying, “I am in awe of all of you, and you’ve taught me so much,” then joked that he owed B&B Executive Producer/Head Writer Brad Bell “an arm and a leg, maybe a few toes” for changing his life. Clifton also had warm words for his B&B dad, Don Diamont (Bill), and love interest, Annika Noelle (Hope), then grew emotional while thanking his girlfriend, Elle Anderson. “It was a really hard year, and you made me invincible,” he declared. “You are my existential oxygen tank. And I don’t know what I would do without you. I love you, and I am grateful to you.” Then, to his 10-year-old son, Ford, Clifton said, “I have no idea if he’s watching this, but, dude, I’m so grateful that the one thing that you don’t think I’m lame for is my career.”

Taking home his second career Daytime Emmy and his first for playing Matt Clark on Y&R, Roger Howarth said in his acceptance speech, “I’m really, really happy. I love being an actor. I’m so happy that I get to do this thing that we all get to do together, that we cooperate.” He added that he shared the award with the show's outgoing head writer and former executive producer, Josh Griffith, “and I want to say thank you to Sally [McDonald, executive producer] and CBS and to Sony, and to a cast and a crew that have made me feel so welcome that I... I don't know how to say thank you except to say thank you! I appreciate you.” He shouted out a few Y&R crew members by name, then concluded, “Thank you so much.”

Genie Francis, who began playing Laura Collins on GH in 1977, gave an emotional speech after her husband, actor/director Jonathan Frakes, led a star-studded tribute to her legendary career in daytime television with cameos by former GH son Jonathan Jackson (ex-Lucky) and castmate Maurice Benard (Sonny), among others. Escorted to the stage by her son, Jameson, and daughter, Eliza, Francis addressed the crowd. “I am absolutely overwhelmed,” she said. “I want to thank my children for flying out here and for getting me up these steps. I’m getting over a broken ankle, so thank you for supporting me — literally and figuratively.” Acknowledging that the tribute package had brought her to tears, Francis said of her decades in soaps, “I know 50 years sounds like an awfully long time, but it doesn’t feel like it to me... I have had the most amazing ride, and I am so grateful.” Francis spoke of the legends with whom she'd shared the stage, including the late Anthony Geary (ex-Luke, GH) and Tristan Rogers (ex-Robert, GH), and fought back tears as she thanked her current executive producer, Frank Valentini, and her family, including Frakes, of whom she said, “As always, I thank my husband for his unwavering support and love. Truly, my cup runneth over.”

Tamara Tunie began her daytime career on As the World Turns as Jessica Griffin in 1987, then was lured back to daytime to play Anita Dupree, the matriarch of Beyond the Gates. Her smashing performance landed her her first Daytime Emmy win, and as she became the second Black actress to win Lead Actress, Tunie delivered a powerful speech. “My heart is so full right now,” she began. “This is the best welcome back to daytime ever,” she added. “There is a host of Black actresses who paved the way for me, and I feel them as I stand here tonight, beginning with the legendary Cicely Tyson, the first Black woman to appear on a daytime television show, The Guiding Light.” Tunie congratulated her “sister nominees”  in the category, with whom she'd dined earlier in the week at the annual Lead Actress nominee gathering. Teased the actress, “There was a lot of wine and a lot of food, and we were solving all the problems of the world.” Tunie voiced her gratitude to the cast and crew of Beyond the Gates, to her past colleagues whose lessons she carried forward “as I continue my growth as a storyteller,” then dedicated her award to her 92-year-old mother, Evelyn, who was in the audience and stood up to receive her flowers. “She has been my example, my role model and my inspiration,” gushed Tunie.

Beth Maitland, who plays Traci Abbott on Y&R, received her first Daytime Emmy as Supporting Actress for the role in 1985. Four-plus decades later, as she took to the stage to accept her statuette, Maitland was visibly choked up as she began her speech. “I was equally as gobsmacked back then as a young actress, and I can’t tell you how meaningful it is to be [here],” the actress marveled. “There’s a lot of talk about the community that is daytime, and they have embraced me for four-and-a-half decades.” Maitland went on to thank her Y&R colleagues and fellow nominees and peers in the soap community, noting, “Every one of you a winner, every one of you a part of the contribution daytime makes in a world gone mad, offering just a few minutes of relief — to laugh, to cry and to celebrate.”

Ambyr Michelle (Eva Thomas) became the first actor ever to win a Daytime Emmy for their work on Beyond the Gates when her name was called as the Outstanding Emerging Talent. Michelle squealed “Oh, my God” repeatedly as she began her speech, first thanking the Lord (“my bestie”), then shared, “I don't just see an award. I see every audition, every rejection, every moment I questioned my artistry. I see a promise fulfilled. I remember when no one was clapping for me, and I had to learn how to applaud myself.” The actress cheekily then thanked herself as the crowed cheered. She thanked her family and work family before thanking her character, Eva. “Playing your pain made me process my own.” She closed her speech by addressing “my beautiful Black women and girls,” saying, “Take up space, be undeniable, create your own tables and fill those seats — and when those tables are full and those seats are full, make the table even bigger.”