The Kelly Clarkson Show, General Hospital and Beyond the Gates Lead

The 53rd Daytime Emmys delivered five wins for The Kelly Clarkson Show on Friday, making it the most-awarded program of the ceremony despite its recent cancellation.

General Hospital and Beyond the Gates Lead Drama Wins

While the talk show category celebrated a departing favorite, the daytime drama race saw familiar dominance alongside a major breakout. ABC’s General Hospital captured the top daytime drama prize for the sixth consecutive year, pulling in four total wins. Those victories included the writing team award and a guest performer win for Jeff Kober, who also landed a Primetime Emmy nomination this year for The Pitt, marking a rare double nomination across both awards bodies in the same cycle.

Tied with General Hospital at four wins was CBS newcomer Beyond the Gates, which made a commanding impression in its first year of eligibility. The series picked up victories for lighting direction, hairstyling and makeup, emerging talent for Ambyr Michelle, and lead actress for Tamara Tunie. The win marks Tunie’s first-ever Daytime Emmy, following a career in the genre that began in 1987. “This is the best ‘welcome back to daytime’ ever,” Tunie said.

Elsewhere in the drama categories, The Young and the Restless secured three wins. Roger Howarth won for supporting actor, setting a Daytime Emmy record for the longest gap between wins at 32 years since his last victory. Beth Maitland also won for supporting actress in a daytime drama.

CBS Leads Network Tally as Sherri Shepherd Wins Host

The awards distribution placed CBS at the front of the network tally with eight wins, alongside two additional victories for its syndication arm, CBS Media Ventures. NBCUniversal Syndication secured five wins driven entirely by The Kelly Clarkson Show, while ABC claimed four and Inkblot took three. Because of the 2025 eligibility window running from January 1 through December 31, canceled programs like The Kelly Clarkson Show and Sherri remain eligible for next year’s ceremony as long as they produced original episodes in 2026. Sherri Shepherd took home the trophy for daytime talk host.

The ceremony also celebrated career achievements. Genie Francis received the Lifetime Achievement honor, presented by her husband, Jonathan Frakes. “The joy of doing the work has never left me,” Francis said. “I am so proud to be a member of the cast of ‘General Hospital.’ The caliber of this cast inspires me every day and keeps me humble.” Byron Allen, Meredith Vieira, Patrika Darbo, and Francesca James entered as Gold Circle inductees, while Stephen Brown and Rubin Ervin joined as Silver Circle inductees.

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