With a brand-new cleaning soap opera on the poll, this yr’s Daytime Emmy nominations appeared poised to upend everybody’s predictions. But even with the inflow of contenders from Beyond the Gates, one factor stayed the identical: there have been loads of stunning snubs and nice surprises.
The Young and the Restless leads the nominations with 18, adopted by Beyond the Gates at 15, General Hospital at 13, Days of Our Lives at eight, and The Bold and the Beautiful at seven. But solely two soaps — Days and GH — made it into the highest 4 classes: collection, appearing, directing, and writing.
Notably, none of final yr’s appearing winners are again of their respective lineups. Nancy Lee Grahn (General Hospital), Paul Telfer (Days of Our Lives), Susan Walters (The Young and the Restless), and Jonathan Jackson (General Hospital) have all been changed by new or former appearing nominees.
Here’s a whole rundown of all of the snubs, surprises, and enjoyable details for the 2026 Daytime Emmy nominations.
SNUB: Drew Barrymore
Image Credit: CBS
Drew Barrymore gained the Daytime Emmy final yr for Best Daytime Talk Series Host, however this time round she has been curiously omitted. Similarly, Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa, who gained this race in 2024, are MIA. Instead, this yr’s host nominees are Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin, and Ana Navarro from The View, and, from their self-titled reveals, Kelly Clarkson, Tamron Hall, Jennifer Hudson, and Sherri Shepherd. The Drew Barrymore Show remains to be up for 4 awards, although, together with Best Daytime Talk Series.
SURPRISE: Jeff Kober
Image Credit: Warrick Page/HBO Max; ABC
One week after receiving a Primetime Emmy nomination for guest-starring on The Pitt, Jeff Kober has acquired a Daytime Emmy bid for showing on General Hospital. While Kober’s Primetime quotation was his first, he is a Daytime veteran, successful for supporting in 2022 and being nominated in 2021. Hey Jeff, you higher have two completely different acceptance speeches deliberate!
FUN FACT: Heather Tom eyes historical past
Image Credit: CBS
Heather Tom is a six-time Daytime Emmy winner: twice for The Young and the Restless, and 4 occasions for The Bold and the Beautiful. Should she win Best Lead Actress this yr for The Bold and the Beautiful, she would break her present tie with Erika Slezak (One Life to Live) and grow to be the most-honored actress in Daytime Emmy historical past.
SNUB: The Bold and the Beautiful for collection
Image Credit: CBS
The Bold and the Beautiful is a three-time winner for Best Daytime Drama Series (2009-11), however this marks the second yr in a row that it was disregarded of the lineup. Better luck subsequent yr? The collection snub is fascinating contemplating it acquired seven complete bids immediately, together with for writing and 4 performers (Heather Tom, Scott Clifton, Thorsten Kaye, and Lawrence Saint-Victor).
SNUB: Peter Bergman
Image Credit: Sonja Flemming/CBS
Peter Bergman is the all-time nominations later in Best Lead Actor, with 25 bids as of final yr. However, the star of The Young and the Restless was disregarded this yr in favor of his co-stars Eric Braeden and Christian LeBlanc, plus General Hospital‘s Steve Burton, and each Scott Clifton and Thorsten Kaye from The Bold and the Beautiful.
SURPRISE: Michelle Stafford
Image Credit: Sonja Flemming/CBS
Calling 14-time Daytime Emmy nominee Michelle Stafford a “surprise” would usually be a stretch. But not this yr. She’s the one lead performer — feminine or male — who was nominated final yr and returned this yr. Indeed, voters seemingly went out of their method to guarantee that the lead lineups had been as completely different as they could possibly be, and Stafford one way or the other slipped via to earn a repeat nom.
FUN FACT: Steve Burton vs. all winners
Image Credit: ABC
General Hospital‘s Steve Burton is the one Best Lead Actor nominee this yr who has by no means prevailed on this class. The Young and the Restless‘ Eric Braeden gained in 1998; The Bold and the Beautiful‘s Scott Clifton gained in 2017; The Bold and the Beautiful‘s Thorsten Kaye gained in 2023 and ’24; and The Young and the Restless‘ Christian LeBlanc gained in 2005, ’07, and ’09. Burton does have two supporting victories to his identify, although, for GH in 1998 and Y&R in 2017.
SNUB: General Hospital misses Best Lead Actress
Image Credit: Jesse Grant/Variety
For the primary time in 12 years, General Hospital is lacking from the Best Lead Actress lineup. (Blame first-timer Beyond the Gates, which takes up two of these slots for Karla Mosley and Tamara Tunie.) Last yr’s Emmy slate featured a pair of main girls from GH — Laura Wright and eventual winner Nancy Lee Grahn — however each had been snubbed this yr.
SURPRISE: 8 appearing noms for Beyond the Gates
Image Credit: Chris Reel/CBS
Beyond the Gates‘ first trip of the gate was a wild success, with 15 complete nominations, eight of these for performers. The Acting Branch did not simply select well-known faces like Tamara Tunie, it additionally singled out a pair of newcomers — Ambyr Michelle and Arielle Prepetit — proving voters are watching the present recurrently and like what they see. Of course, not everyone from the present was acknowledged, specifically…
SNUB: Clifton Davis
Image Credit: Sonja Flemming/CBS
Considering the domination of freshman collection Beyond the Gates, it is a head-scratcher to see that Clifton Davis missed a nomination in Best Lead Actor for his function as patriarch Vernon Dupree. He’s a legendary actor, singer-songwriter, and writer who’s been steadily working in Hollywood because the Nineteen Seventies. To date, Davis has acquired a Grammy nomination in 1975 for Best R&B Song for “Never Can Say Goodbye,” and a Tony bid in 1972 for Best Actor in a Musical for Two Gentlemen of Verona.
FUN FACT: Only 2 reveals in prime 4 classes
Image Credit: NBC/Peacock
This yr, solely two soaps acquired nominations within the prime 4 classes of collection, appearing, directing, and writing: Days of Our Lives and General Hospital. As for his or her main opponents, The Bold and the Beautiful missed collection and directing, Beyond the Gates missed directing, and The Young and the Restless missed writing. That highly effective exhibiting from Days of Our Lives and General Hospital would usually make them front-runners, however the addition of newcomer Beyond the Gates throws all prior guidelines out the window.