2026 Daytime Emmy Nominations Announced: The Young and the Restless Leads With 18 Nods

The 2026 Daytime Emmy Awards nominees have been officially unveiled by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS). The ceremony will take place on Friday, October 30 at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles.

The Young and the Restless dominates the nomination count this year with 18 nods. Beyond the Gates follows closely with 16 nominations, while General Hospital rounds out the top three with 13 nominations.

NATAS President and CEO Adam Sharp commented on the announcement, stating: "We're proud to honor the extraordinary talent and creative teams whose work continues to define and elevate daytime television. As the daytime landscape evolves and new forms of storytelling emerge, we remain committed to recognizing the innovation happening across the industry."

Major Categories

In Outstanding Daytime Drama Series, four shows are in contention: Beyond the Gates, Days of Our Lives, General Hospital, and The Young and the Restless.

The Outstanding Daytime Talk Series category features six nominees: 3rd Hour of TODAY, The Drew Barrymore Show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Live with Kelly and Mark, TODAY with Jenna & Friends, and The View.

Outstanding Entertainment News Series includes Access Hollywood, Entertainment Tonight, and Extra.

Acting Honors

Michelle Stafford (The Young and the Restless), Stacy Haiduk (Days of Our Lives), Karla Mosley (Beyond the Gates), Heather Tom (The Bold and the Beautiful), and Tamara Tunie (Beyond the Gates) are nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Daytime Drama Series.

For Outstanding Lead Actor, Eric Braeden (The Young and the Restless), Steve Burton (General Hospital), Scott Clifton (The Bold and the Beautiful), Thorsten Kaye (The Bold and the Beautiful), and Christian Jules Le Blanc (The Young and the Restless) are in the running.

Host and Personality Nods

Kelly Clarkson, Tamron Hall, Jennifer Hudson, Sherri Shepherd, and the cast of The View—Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin, and Ana Navarro—are among those nominated for Outstanding Daytime Talk Series Host.

Culinary and Lifestyle Programs

The Outstanding Culinary Instructional Series category recognizes Andrew Zimmern's Wild Game Kitchen, Be My Guest with Ina Garten, Delicious Miss Brown, Magnolia Table: At The Farm, and Pati's Mexican Table.

Outstanding Lifestyle Program nominees include A Different Breed, George to the Rescue, With Love, Meghan, The Motherhood, and The Wizard of Paws.

Special Programming

Outstanding Daytime Special nominees span from the Critics Choice 2nd Annual Celebration of LGBTQ+ Cinema & Television and Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade to Living Proof, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and Unleashing Hope: The Power of Service Dogs for Children with Autism.

Legal and Courtroom Shows

Caught in Providence, Divorce Court, Justice For The People with Judge Milian, and Mathis Court with Judge Mathis compete in the Outstanding Legal/Courtroom Series category.

The complete list of nominees across all categories reflects the breadth of daytime television programming, from drama and talk to culinary instruction, lifestyle content, and news-oriented series.