Daytime Television: Record Wins and Career Milestones

Scott Clifton and Tamara Tunie received the top acting awards at the 53rd annual Daytime Emmy ceremony held Friday night at the Hollywood Palladium. The event marked the first time the ceremony was streamed live after five years of broadcast television distribution.

General Hospital claimed its 19th outstanding drama series award, a record total for any show in the category. The ABC soap also secured its sixth consecutive win in this division. The show added two more trophies to its collection, taking home awards for writing and guest performance in a daytime drama, the latter going to Jeff Kober.

Clifton, who portrays Liam Spencer on The Bold and the Beautiful, claimed his second lead actor trophy. This victory completes a unique sweep of the three acting categories for a male performer, following his previous wins in the younger actor and supporting actor divisions. His competitors included Eric Braeden, Steve Burton, Thorsten Kaye, and Christian Jules LeBlanc.

"I’m speechless," Clifton told reporters. "This means so much to me, not the thing, the atta boy from my peers. I think of few things that bring me more joy than that."

Tunie earned the lead actress award for her role as Anita Dupree on Beyond the Gates. The CBS series debuted last year with the first primarily Black cast in the genre since the 1990s. It is also the first new network soap opera to launch since 1999. Tunie originally entered daytime television in 1987 with As the World Turns.

"My heart is so full right now," Tunie said upon accepting the award. "This is the best welcome back to daytime ever. There is a host of Black actresses who paved the way for me, and I feel them as I stand here."

Roger Howarth and Beth Maitland of The Young and the Restless took the supporting acting honors. Howarth plays Matt Clark and previously won in 1994 for his role on One Life to Live. Maitland has played Traci Abbott since 1982, the year of her first supporting actress win. She dedicated her acceptance to the longevity of the industry.

Genie Francis received the Lifetime Achievement Award for her career on General Hospital, where she began acting at age 14 in 1977. Her husband, Jonathan Frakes, presented the trophy. Francis, who is recovering from a broken right ankle, was supported on stage by her two children. She cited colleagues such as Anthony Geary, Erika Slezak, and Eric Braeden as part of her professional journey.

In non-drama categories, Tracee Ellis Ross won for her Roku travel series, Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross. Ina Garten won two trophies for her Food Network show, Be My Guest. Sherri Shepherd and Kelly Clarkson won talk show awards for programs that have ended production, while Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, lost the lifestyle category to the Prime Video documentary A Different Breed.