ABC’s General Hospital took best daytime drama again on Friday night, its sixth win in a row. Genie Francis got a lifetime honor, and Beyond the Gates had a big first year.
Port Charles had a very good Friday night.
ABC’s General Hospital won Outstanding Daytime Drama Series at the 53rd Daytime Emmy Awards on Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. That makes six straight wins in the category, going back to 2021. TVLine and SoapCentral both counted it as the sixth in a row, and Wikipedia’s record of the 2025 show called last year’s win the fifth.
The ceremony was held at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, according to The Hollywood Reporter. TVLine reported that the show streamed live on YouTube, so a lot of soap fans watched on their phones while it happened.
Executive producer Frank Valentini accepted the top award with cast and crew around him, including Laura Wright, who plays Carly, SoapCentral reported.
How many Daytime Emmys did General Hospital win in 2026?
The Hollywood Reporter counted four wins for General Hospital:
Outstanding Daytime Drama Series
Outstanding Writing Team for a Drama Series
Outstanding Casting for a Daytime Program
Outstanding Guest Performance, for Jeff Kober as Cyrus Renault
Kober’s win is a fun one. Cyrus has been one of the show’s slipperiest villains, and voters clearly enjoyed watching him scheme. TVLine also listed the writing team and Kober among the night’s winners.
It wasn’t a clean sweep, though. Steve Burton, who plays Jason, lost lead actor.
Amanda Setton (Brook Lynn) lost supporting actress, and Eva LaRue (Natalia) lost in the guest category to her own castmate. Braedyn Bruner (Emma) and Giovanni Mazza (Gio) were up for emerging talent, and the directing award went to Days of Our Lives on Peacock, per TVLine.
Why did Genie Francis get a lifetime achievement award?
Genie Francis, who has played Laura on General Hospital on and off since the 1970s, received the Lifetime Achievement Award, according to The Hollywood Reporter and TVLine.
If you know one thing about General Hospital, it’s probably Luke and Laura. Their 1981 wedding is one of the most watched moments in daytime TV history, and Francis was a teenager when she first joined the show. Neither outlet reported details of her speech, so we won’t guess at it.
General Hospital premiered on ABC on April 1, 1963, and it’s still airing weekdays on the network more than 63 years later. Few shows of any kind can say that, and even fewer are still winning the top prize.
Who won the other big Daytime Emmys?
CBS’s Beyond the Gates had a strong first year of eligibility. The Hollywood Reporter counted four wins, including lead actress for Tamara Tunie, her first Daytime Emmy. Ambyr Michelle (Eva Thomas) won emerging talent.
The show shared hairstyling and makeup in a tie and won lighting direction. TVLine noted it had 16 nominations and has been renewed through 2028.
The rest of the drama acting awards, per TVLine:
Lead actor: Scott Clifton (Liam), The Bold and the Beautiful
Supporting actress: Beth Maitland (Traci), The Young and the Restless
Supporting actor: Roger Howarth (Matt Clark), The Young and the Restless
Over in talk, The Kelly Clarkson Show led the night with five wins, including Talk Series, The Hollywood Reporter reported. That’s a nice send-off for a show that signed off in August, per TVLine. Clarkson herself lost talk host to Sherri Shepherd and didn’t attend, THR said.
How did ABC and Disney shows do at the Daytime Emmys?
Disney’s daytime lineup had a mixed night outside of Port Charles. The View lost talk series and host. Live with Kelly and Mark lost talk series and art direction, and Tamron Hall lost host, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Hulu did pick up a trophy. Unleashing Hope: The Power of Service Dogs for Children with Autism won Outstanding Daytime Special, THR reported.
A few other names you might know went home happy. Ina Garten won both culinary series and culinary host. Entertainment Tonight won entertainment news series, and Justice for the People With Judge Milian won the legal and courtroom award, per TVLine.
And one record didn’t fall. Heather Tom of The Bold and the Beautiful missed her shot at a seventh trophy, The Hollywood Reporter noted.
What’s next for General Hospital?
For now, it’s back to work. General Hospital airs weekdays on ABC, and the show will try to make it seven in a row at next year’s Daytime Emmys.
That’s a lot of pressure for one fictional hospital. Then again, Port Charles has survived mob wars, kidnappings and at least one plan to freeze the whole town. A little Emmy pressure should be fine.
Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.
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Hat Tips:
TVLine (Oct. 30, 2026), the winners list and the sixth straight drama win
The Hollywood Reporter (Oct. 31, 2026), venue, win counts, the Genie Francis honor and ABC and Hulu results
SoapCentral (Oct. 31, 2026), Frank Valentini accepting with the cast
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