Daytime Drama! Kelly Clarkson's Emotional Rollercoaster at the 2026 Emmys

The 2026 Daytime Emmys, held at the Hollywood Palladium for the first time, celebrated outstanding achievements in daytime television on Friday (Oct. 30). The ceremony, notably streamed live on the NATAS YouTube channel at YouTube.com/@theemmys and watch.TheEmmys.tv rather than airing on linear TV for the second consecutive year, honored a wide array of talent and productions.

A major highlight was "The Kelly Clarkson Show," which secured the award for Outstanding Daytime Talk Series. This marks a continued streak of success for the show, which has won in one or both of the talk series categories in six of its seven seasons. Despite this team victory, Kelly Clarkson herself did not win Outstanding Daytime Talk Series Host, losing instead to Sherri Shepherd for "Sherri." Clarkson boasts an impressive nine Daytime Emmys in seven years—five for talk series and four for host—eclipsing her three Grammys over a more than two-decade recording career. Clarkson was not present at the ceremony; a previous incident at a Brooklyn curiosity shop, dubbed "Birdgate," had no influence on the awards, as voting concluded on June 10, four months prior to the incident. Beyond the top talk series honor, "The Kelly Clarkson Show" also garnered three other awards: best directing for a daytime studio non-fiction series; outstanding sound mixing and sound editing for a live daytime program; and outstanding art direction/set decoration/scenic design for a daytime program.

Individual accolades were also celebrated. Ray Chew won Outstanding Music Direction and Composition for a Daytime Program for "Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade," with his wife accepting the award on his behalf as he was busy with "Dancing With the Stars." Chew's extensive career includes music direction for "American Idol," "Saturday Night Live," the Emmy Awards, the BET Awards, and the Grammy Awards’ Premiere Ceremony. Keke Palmer received her first Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Daytime Short Form Program as a producer of "Glam Through the Ages," adding to her two Primetime Emmys. Similarly, Tracee Ellis Ross earned her inaugural Emmy Award, winning Outstanding Travel and Adventure Program for "Solo Traveling With Tracee Ellis Ross," after six previous Primetime Emmy nominations for ABC’s "black-ish." Star Jones achieved her first Daytime Emmy in a 35-year television career, winning Outstanding Daytime Personality – Daily for "Divorce Court" alongside Corey Jovan. Jones thanked her two late mentors, Johnnie Cochran and Barbara Walters, for teaching her about justice and asking tough questions, respectively.

In the drama category, "General Hospital" continued its historic run, winning Outstanding Daytime Drama Series for the sixth consecutive year and an unprecedented 19th time overall, both records. The show's legacy was further honored with a lifetime achievement award presented to Genie Francis, celebrating her nearly 50 years portraying Laura Spencer. The In Memoriam segment paid tribute to Anthony Geary, Francis's co-star and the other half of the iconic Luke & Laura storyline, who passed away in December 2025, alongside critic Gene Shalit and actors June Lockhart and Sally Kirkland.

Other notable winners included "Off Script With The Hollywood Reporter" for Outstanding Arts and Popular Culture Program, beating productions from its sister brand Variety. "Entertainment Tonight" won Outstanding Entertainment News Series. "Unleashing Hope: The Power of Service Dogs for Children with Autism" was recognized as Outstanding Daytime Special. "Long Way Home" won for Outstanding Sound Mixing and Sound Editing for a Prerecorded Daytime Program, and Giada De Laurentiis was honored for Outstanding Daytime Personality – Non-Daily for "Giada in My Kitchen."