For the 46th time, the biggest stars in daytime television gathered to honor the best of the industry. In that time, the Daytime Emmys have been held in New York City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and, for the third year in a row, Pasadena.
"The National Academy is pleased to be honoring the men and women who make Daytime television one of the staples of the entertainment industry," said Terry O'Reilly, Chairman, NATAS. In addition to those honored tonight with the prestigious Emmy Award, we are especially pleased to be highlighting the careers of two of our television icons, 'Judge Judy' Sheindlin and Chef Jacques Pepin with our Lifetime Achievement Award. With our tributes to the wonderful career of Kathie Lee Gifford and the remarkable 50-year achievement of Sesame Street, it's a wonderful evening to celebrate Daytime television."
This year's two-day ceremony -- the Creative Arts ceremony was held on Friday, May 3 -- was full of surprises. From first-time winners to wins that were spread over multiple programs, this was one of the most unpredictable ceremonies in recent years.
Days of our Lives led the pack this year with 27 nominations. Unlike last year, when the NBC soap pulled off a rare sweep of the Drama Series, Directing Team, and Writing Team categories, DAYS picked up just one win on the night: Kyler Pettis (ex-Theo Carver) was named Outstanding Younger Actor.
This year, it was The Young and the Restless' turn to pull off the rare sweep. The CBS soap's Writing and Directing Teams received honors, and the show was named Outstanding Drama Series. While the wins were certainly reason to celebrate, there may have also been a bit of awkwardness that came along with the wins. The episodes that earned Y&R its honors came under the leadership of former Executive Producer and Head Writer Mal Young. Young and Y&R parted ways at the end of 2018.
In addition to Pettis, there were three other first-time acting winners -- or possibly four, depending on your point of view.
As they've done for more than two decades, dozens of stars stopped along the Red Carpet to chat with Soap Central's Dan J Kroll about their characters, their Daytime Emmy routines and traditions, and pretty much anything else that may have popped into their minds. Because he's a glutton for punishment, Dan once again gave stars the opportunity to ask questions to other stars. Think: Create your own Pop-Tarts flavor and favorite guilty pleasure. Capital of Uzbekistan, anybody?
This year's Emmy ceremony was once again livestreamed on various social media platforms -- and Soap Central provided another layer of coverage on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to share our own live coverage. Be sure to check out those social media feeds for behind-the-scenes photos of the Red Carpet and the press room.
In the sections that follow, you'll be able to find out what winners shared with us backstage after winning Emmy gold, as well as photos, video, fashion, and other insights that you'll find only here on Soap Central.
