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Daytime Emmys 2025: All the winners and best moments, from Lisa Yamada's 'ugly tears' to Nancy Lee Grahn's protest speech


ABC's General Hospital swept the 2025 Daytime Emmys with 7 awards, while Drew Barrymore, Live with Kelly and Mark, and Joanna and Chip Gaines all won big


Lisa Yamada poses with the award for Outstanding Emerging Talent in a Daytime Drama Series for "The Bold and the Beautiful" at the 52nd Daytime Emmy Awards held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on October 17, 2025 © Variety via Getty Images
Rebecca Lewis
Rebecca LewisLos Angeles correspondent
Updated: October 18, 2025
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ABC's General Hospital has swept the 2025 Daytime Emmys, a ceremony which whizzed by, ending ten minutes early, and was an evening of tears, triumphs, and a rallying cry to an industry battling AI, job losses, and the fear of political suppression. There were several moments throughout that saw presenters and winners speak in non-English languages while Deborah Norville, the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, called on producers and executives not to listen to "data and surveys, as the ceremony ended with a visibly nervous Nancy Lee Grahn calling for everyone to "show up, stand up, and speak up for human decency and democracy."

General Hospital scooped seven awards including Outstanding Drama Series, and three acting awards for Alley Mills, who picked up Outstanding Guest Performance in a Drama Series for her work as Heather Webber, Jonathan Jackson, who won his sixth Emmy for his work as Lucky Spencer, and Nancy Lee Grahn, who won the final acting award of the evening and had the crowd on their feet with her passionate speech.

The Young and the Restless had led the soap nominations with 19 across various categories, but it only scooped one award; Susan Walters picked up her first-ever Emmy after 43 years working as a soap actress. Drew Barrymore won for Outstanding Daytime Talk Series Host, while Live with Kelly and Mark won Outstanding Daytime Talk Series, and Joanna and Chip Gaines' Fixer Upper: The Lakehouse won Outstanding How-To Program.

Former Inside Edition host Deborah was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award, and she recognized the "irony" of the award as she begins an "exciting new chapter" as a game show host. Keep reading for all the best moments, and all the winners.

Lisa Yamada wins the inaugural emerging talent award

Lisa's big night

Lisa Yamada, 23 became the inaugural winner of the emerging talent award, and she broke down in "ugly tears" as she thanked her mother and father, with a beautiful tribute in Japanese.

Thanking the Academy, she went on to thank The Bold & The Beautiful showrunner Brad Bell, her co-star Don Diamont for his "constant guidance" and her on-set "bestie" Christian Weissmann.

"But most importantly my mommy and my daddy, you sacrificed so much for me to pursue this silly dream of mine, I am so lucky to be your daughter," she said, which left her mom in tears.



Nancy Lee Grahn gets the crowd on their feet

Nancy Lee Grahn won her second Emmy for her role on General Hospital, and used her moment to call for everyone to stand up for democracy.

"Along with this job comes a literal soap box, and my parents would be very disappointed in me if I don't use it right now to speak out for other people," said a visibly nervous Nancy.

"Our democracy is worth fighting for, the people in it are worth caring about, and whether you have a soapbox or not, now is the time to show up, stand up, and speak up for human decency and democracy."

Deborah Norville poses with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 52nd Daytime Emmy Awards held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on October 17, 2025 in Pasadena, California© Variety via Getty Images

Deborah's second act

"It was a delightful irony to hear I would be receiving this Lifetime Achievement Award right about the time I would be launching a new game show The Perfect Line for CBS," laughed Deborah Norville, who is 67.

"I am thrilled to be recognized for a lifetime of work, just as I am starting an exciting new chapter in my television career, so I accept this as an incentive to try to achieve and make all of you proud."

Jonathan Jackson poses with the award for Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Daytime Drama Series: Actor for "General Hospital" at the 52nd Daytime Emmy Awards held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on October 17, 2025© Variety via Getty Images

Jonathan Jackson gets choked up

As General Hospital star Jonathan Jackson picked up his sixth Emmy, he became very emotional.

"I am very humbled to be up here, and overwhelmed," he began, continuing: "First of all, I want to thank Father, Son and Holy Spirit for grace and mercy." 

He then thanked his writers and castmates, before choking up as he said: "And I especially want to thank Genie Francis, I owe you a debt of love that I will never be able to repay."

Genie returned to the soap in 2024, reprising the role of Laura Spencer, Jonathan's on-screen mother. It was the first time they had appeared together on screen in over 10 years.

Jonathan exited the show earlier this summer in a surprise decision by bosses.

Mario Lopez attends the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards at Peacock Theater on September 14, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.© Getty Images

Mario Lopez is a Dodgers fans

Host Mario Lopez kicked the ceremony off with a five-minute monologue in which he joked about plastic surgery and filters, and why animals were taking all of the acting jobs. 

But his most important comment? A call for the winners to keep their speeches short because the Los Angeles Dodgers have game four of the play-offs in the same evening and if they win? They'll be heading to the 2025 World Series. 

Mike Jackson, Egypt Sherrod at the 52nd Daytime Emmy Awards held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on October 17, 2025© Variety via Getty Images

Fashion faux pas!

Married to Real Estate stars Egypt Sherrod was joined by her husband Mike Johnson to hand out several awards but as she walked out on stage, she waa full of giggles. 

The reason? Egypt had split her dress in the women's bathroom only minutes before!

Susan Walters© CBS via Getty Images

Susan Walters' emotional speech

Susan Walters won her first Emmy at the ceremony for her work on The Young & The Restless as Diane Jenkins, and it was clearly an emotional moment for the longtime actress.

"Peter Bergman told me I better maybe have something to say, and I don't," she laughed as she accepted the award.

"But in 30 seconds: Michael Mealor and Peter, I would not be up here without you, you are the most generous scene partners I have ever worked with."

She continued: "This is the toughest medium and I can say that with 43 years of doing this, and Josh Griffiths, when you brought Diane back to life, you gave me life, and that seems crazy, but you gave me a new life!"

Diane was killed off in 2012 and returned in 2022.

Daytime Emmys 2025 winners

Outstanding Drama Series

Days of our Lives (Peacock)

General Hospital (ABC) - WINNER

The Young and the Restless  (CBS)

Cast of General Hospital: Steve Burton, Katelyn MacMullen, Giovanni Mazza, Van Hansis, Rory Gibson, Donnell Turner, Frank Valentini, Eden McCoy, Nancy Lee Grahn, Kristen Vaganos, Braedyn Bruner, Avery Kristen Pohl, Jacqueline Grace Lopez, Jonathan Jackson © Getty Images
Cast of General Hospital after the 2025 Daytime Emmys

Outstanding Daytime Talk Series Host

Drew Barrymore - WINNER

Jenna Bush Hager, Hoda Kotb

Kelly Clarkson

Mark Consuelos, Kelly Ripa

Jennifer Hudson

Drew Barrymore chatting on her talk show© Instagram
Drew Barrymore on her talk show

Outstanding Daytime Talk Series

The Drew Barrymore Show

The Jennifer Hudson Show

The Kelly Clarkson Show

Live with Kelly and Mark - WINNER

The View

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Peter Bergman (Jack Abbott, Young and Restless)

Eric Martsolf (Brady Black, Days of Our Lives)

Greg Rikaart (Leo Stark, Days of Our Lives)

Paul Telfer (Xander Kiriakis, Days of Our Lives) - WINNER

Dominic Zamprogna (Dante Falconeri, General Hospital)

Paul Telfer poses with the award for Outstanding Lead Performance in a Daytime Drama Series: Actor for "Days of Our Lives" © Variety via Getty Images
Paul Telfer wins Outstanding Lead Performance in a Daytime Drama Series: Actor

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Sharon Case (Sharon Newman, Young and Restless)

Eileen Davidson (Ashley Abbott, Young and Restless)

Melissa Claire Egan (Chelsea Lawson, Young and Restless)

Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis Davis, General Hospital) - WINNER

Michelle Stafford (Phyllis Summers, Young and Restless)

Laura Wright (Carly Spencer, General Hospital)

Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Daytime Drama Series

Linsey Godfrey (Sarah Horton, Days of Our Lives)

Courtney Hope (Sally Spectra, The Young and the Restless)

Kate Mansi (Kristina Corinthos Davis, General Hospital)

Emily O’Brien (Theresa Donovan, Days of Our Lives)

Susan Walters (Diane Jenkins Abbott, The Young and the Restless) - WINNER

Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Daytime Drama Series

Tajh Bellow (TJ Ashford, General Hospital)

Blake Berris ( Everett Lynch, Days of our Lives)

Michael Graziadei (Daniel Romalotti, The Young and the Restless)

Gregory Harrison (Gregory Chase, General Hospital)

Jonathan Jackson (Lucky Spencer, General Hospital) - WINNER

Outstanding Guest Performance in a Daytime Drama Series

Linden Ashby as Cameron Kirsten, The Young and the Restless (CBS)

Clint Howard as Tom Starr, The Bold and the Beautiful (CBS)

Jacqueline Lopez as Blaze, General Hospital (ABC)

Alley Mills as Heather Webber, General Hospital (ABC) - WINNER

Valarie Pettiford as Amy Lewis, The Young and the Restless (CBS)

Avery Kristen Pohl as Esme Prince, General Hospital (ABC)

Alley Mills poses with the award for Outstanding Guest Performance in a Daytime Drama Series for General Hospital© Getty Images
Alley Mills poses with the award for Outstanding Guest Performance in a Daytime Drama Series

Outstanding Directing Team for a Daytime Drama Series

Days of our Lives (Peacock)

General Hospital (ABC) - WINNER

The Young and the Restless (CBS)

Outstanding Emerging Talent in a Daytime Drama Series

Olivia d’Abo (Fifi Garrett, The Bay)

AnnaLynne McCord (Cat Greene, Days of Our Lives)

Ashley Puzemis (Holly Jonas, Days of Our Lives)

Christian Weissmann (Remy Pryce, The Bold and the Beautiful)

Lisa Yamada (Luna Nozawa, The Bold and the Beautiful) - WINNER

Outstanding Culinary Host

Kardea Brown, Delicious Miss Brown - WINNER

Joanna Gaines, Magnolia Table with Joanna Gaines

Ina Garten, Be My Guest with Ina Garten

Emeril Lagasse, Emeril Cooks

Michael Symon, Symon’s Dinners Cooking Out

Kardea Brown poses with the award for Outstanding Culinary Host for "Delicious Miss Brown" © Getty Images
Kardea Brown poses with the award for Outstanding Culinary Host for "Delicious Miss Brown"

Outstanding Culinary Instructional Series 

Be My Guest with Ina Garten, Food Network

Delicious Miss Brown, Food Network  - WINNER

Emeril Cooks, Roku

Lidia’s Kitchen. PBS 

Selena + Restaurant, Food Network

Outstanding Daytime Personality – Daily

Cassie DiLaura, Denny Directo, Kevin Frazier, Rachel Smith & Nischelle Turner, Entertainment Tonight - WINNER

Scott Evans, Zuri Hall, Kit Hoover & Mario Lopez, Access Hollywood

Star Jones, Corey Jovan, Divorce Court

Whitney Kumar, Kevin Rasco, Sarah Rose & Judge Judy Sheindlin, Judy Justice

Outstanding Entertainment News Series

Access Hollywood, NBCUniversal Syndication Studios

E! News, E! Entertainment

Entertainment Tonight, CBS Media Ventures - WINNER

Extra, Warner Brothers Television Distribution 

Outstanding Casting

Days of our Lives (Peacock) - WINNER

General Hospital (ABC)

Making Good (BYUtv)

Start Up (PBS [Arcadius Productions])

The Young and the Restless (CBS) 

Outstanding Daytime Personality – Non-Daily

Sir David Attenborough, Secret Lives of Orangutans - WINNER

Brad Bestelink, Living with Leopards 

Andi Sweeney Blanco, Courtney Dober, Rob North & Kirin Stone, The Fixers

Anthony Mackie, Shark Beach with Anthony Mackie: Gulf Coast

Martha Stewart, Martha Gardens

Outstanding Instructional/How-To Program 

Dime Como Hacerlo

The Fixers

Fixer Upper: The Lakehouse - WINNER

Going Home with Tyler Cameron

Married to Real Estate

Martha Gardens 

Joanna and Chip Gaines won for Fixer Upper: Lakehouse
Joanna and Chip Gaines won for Fixer Upper: Lakehouse

Outstanding Arts and Popular Culture Program

Black Barbie  - WINNER

Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame

Off Script With The Hollywood Reporter

The Swift Effect

Variety Studio: Actors on Actors

National Parks: USA (National Geographic)

Outstanding Lifestyle Program 

George to the Rescue

Hack Your Health: The Secrets of Your Gut

Harlem Globetrotters: Play It Forward

Homegrown

You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment  - WINNER 

Outstanding Culinary Cultural Series

BBQ High (Magnolia Network)

Chasing Flavor with Carla Hall (HBO Max) - WINNER

Ingrediente: Mexico (Amazon Prime Video)

TrueSouth (ESPN)

Outstanding Cinematography

Living with Leopards (Netflix)

Mysteries of the Terracotta Warriors (Netflix)

National Parks: USA (National Geographic) - WINNER

The Secret Lives of Animals (Apple TV+) 

Secret Lives of Orangutans (Netflix )

Outstanding Writing Team for a Daytime Drama Series

Days  of our Lives(Peacock)

General Hospital (ABC) - WINNER

The Young and the Restless (CBS)

Outstanding Costume Design/Styling

The Drew Barrymore Show (CBS Media Ventures)

General Hospital (ABC) - WINNER

Mysteries of the Terracotta Warriors (Netflix)

Sherri (Debmar-Mercury)

The Young and the Restless”(CBS)

Outstanding Directing Team for a Multiple Camera Daytime Non-Fiction Program

Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade (ABC) - WINNER

The Drew Barrymore Show (CBS Media Ventures)

The Good Road (PBS)

The Kelly Clarkson Show (NBCUniversal Syndication Studios)

The Wizard of Paws' (BYUtv)

Outstanding Main Title and Graphic Design

Car Masters: Rust to Riches (Netflix)

The Drew Barrymore Show (CBS Media Ventures)

Hack Your Health: The Secrets of Your Gut (Netflix) - WINNER

Reconnecting Roots (PBS)

Tex Mex Motors (Netflix)

Outstanding Music Direction and Composition

Mysteries of the Terracotta Warriors (Netflix)

National Parks: USA (National Geographic)

The Secret Lives of Animals (Apple TV+)

Secret Lives of Orangutans (Netflix) - WINNER

Secrets of the Neanderthals (Netflix)

Outstanding Single Camera Editing

Hack Your Health: The Secrets of Your Gut (Netflix)

Mysteries of the Terracotta Warriors (Netflix)

The Secret Lives of Animals (Apple TV+) - WINNER

Secret Lives of Orangutans (Netflix)

Secrets of the Neanderthals (Netflix)

The Secret Lives of Animals© Apple TV+
The Secret Lives of Animals

Outstanding Live Sound Mixing and Sound Editing

The Kelly Clarkson Show (NBCUniversal Syndication Studios) - WINNER

The Talk (CBS)

The View (ABC)

The Young and the Restless (CBS)

Outstanding Sound Mixing and Sound Editing

Hack Your Health: The Secrets of Your Gut (Netflix)

Joseph Rosendo’s Steppin’ Out (PBS)

Living with Leopards (Netflix)

National Parks: USA (National Geographic )

The Secret Lives of Animals (Apple TV+) - WINNER

Secret Lives of Orangutans(Netflix )

Secrets of the Neanderthals (Netflix)

Outstanding Short Form Program

Ballin’ Out (Outsports ) - WINNER

Billboard Presents (Billboard)

Catalyst (LinkedIn News)

Eat This With Mara (AJ+)

Live Like a Champion (Healthline)

Outstanding Travel and Adventure Program 

Expedition Unknown (Discovery Channel)  - WINNER

Field Trip with Curtis Stone: Hong Kong  (PBS) 

The Good Road  (PBS]) 

How I Got Here (BYUtv) 

Joseph Rosendo’s Steppin’ Out (PBS)

Outstanding Hairstyling and Makeup

The Bold and the Beautiful

The Drew Barrymore Show - WINNER

General Hospital

The Jennifer Hudson Show

The Kelly Clarkson Show

Outstanding Writing Team for a Daytime Non-Fiction Program

Black Barbie - WINNER

Modern Pioneering with Georgia Pellegrini (PBS)

National Parks: USA (National Geographic)

Secret Lives of Orangutans (Netflix)

Shelter Me: The Cancer Pioneers (PBS)

Mexico Made With Love (PBS]

Outstanding Lighting Direction

Days of our Lives (Peacock)

The Drew Barrymore Show (CBS Media Ventures)

The Kelly Clarkson Show (NBCUniversal Syndication Studios) - WINNER

The View (ABC)

The Young and the Restless (CBS)

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