What happened at the 2025 Daytime Emmys? Highlights, winners, and everything you need to know

The 52nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards, held on October 17, 2025, at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, honored excellence across daytime television’s most beloved genres, from soaps and talk shows to lifestyle and documentary programming.

Hosted by Access Hollywood’s Mario Lopez, the ceremony was streamed live via The Emmys app and watch.theemmys.tv after parting ways with traditional broadcast partners.

General Hospital emerged as the night’s biggest winner, earning seven awards.

At the same time, Sir David Attenborough made history at 99 as the oldest-ever Emmy winner for Secret Lives of Orangutans. Other major winners included The Drew Barrymore Show, Black Barbie, The Secret Lives of Animals, and Live With Kelly and Mark.

The event also featured a tribute to Days of Our Lives’ 60th anniversary and a Lifetime Achievement Award for journalist Deborah Norville.

Major highlights of the 52nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards

A star-studded night in Pasadena

The 2025 Daytime Emmy Awards took place on October 17, 2025, at the historic Pasadena Civic Auditorium in California.

Hosted by Access Hollywood’s Mario Lopez, the ceremony marked a return to a live audience format and was available for streaming on The Emmys app and watch.theemmys.tv.

New format and streaming debut

For the first time in years, the awards did not appear on a broadcast network.

Instead, highlights and exclusive footage premiered on Access Hollywood over the ensuing week, giving viewers a new format with which to experience the show.

New categories introduced

This year’s ceremony introduced three new categories — Outstanding Emerging Talent in a Daytime Drama Series, Outstanding Culinary Cultural Series, and Outstanding Regional Content in a Daytime Genre — reflecting the evolving landscape of daytime entertainment.

General Hospital dominates the night

ABC’s General Hospital was the evening’s biggest winner, taking home seven trophies, including Outstanding Daytime Drama Series, Lead Actress for Nancy Lee Grahn, and Supporting Actor for Jonathan Jackson.

A historic win for Sir David Attenborough

At 99, Sir David Attenborough became the oldest-ever Daytime Emmy winner, breaking Dick Van Dyke’s record from the previous year.

He was honored for narrating Netflix’s Secret Lives of Orangutans, which also won two additional awards.

Honoring television legends

Veteran reporter Deborah Norville was honored with the highly esteemed Lifetime Achievement Award. It commemorates her four-decade career.

The program also honored Days of Our Lives for its 60 years on the air. Current and former cast members took a bow on stage. 

Who were the winners of the Daytime Emmys 2025?

ABC’s General Hospital emerged as the top winner of the night, claiming seven trophies, including Outstanding Daytime Drama Series, Writing Team, Directing Team, and multiple acting awards.

Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis Davis) took home Lead Actress, Jonathan Jackson (Lucky Spencer) won Supporting Actor, and Alley Mills (Heather Webber) earned Guest Performance.

In the Lead Actor category, Days of Our Lives star Paul Telfer triumphed for his portrayal of Xander Kiriakis, while Susan Walters of The Young and the Restless earned Supporting Actress.

The Bold and the Beautiful’s Lisa Yamada received the inaugural Emerging Talent award.

Beyond the soaps, Live With Kelly and Mark won Outstanding Daytime Talk Series, while Drew Barrymore took home Talk Series Host, and The Drew Barrymore Show added wins for Directing and Hairstyling, and Makeup. 

Entertainment Tonight claimed Outstanding Entertainment News Series, and its team also won for Outstanding Daytime Personality – Daily.

Netflix continued its strong showing, with Secret Lives of Orangutans earning multiple honors, including Outstanding Daytime Personality – Non-Daily for Sir David Attenborough.

The platform also scored wins for Black Barbie in the Arts and Popular Culture Program and You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment for Lifestyle Program.

The culinary categories saw Food Network’s Delicious Miss Brown and host Kardea Brown win dual honors, while Chasing Flavor with Carla Hall (HBO | Max) took the Culinary Cultural Series.  Expedition Unknown (Discovery Channel) won Travel and Adventure Program, and Fixer Upper: The Lakehouse (Magnolia Network) earned Instructional/How-To Program.

Among special features, ABC’s Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade won Outstanding Daytime Special, while Ballin’ Out (Outsports) took Short Form Program. Technical and craft categories celebrated excellence across the industry — from The Secret Lives of Animals (Apple TV+) for Sound and Editing, to Mysteries of the Terracotta Warriors (Netflix) for Art Direction.

Rounding out the evening, createid | SARA: A Life in Dreams and Symbols (Idaho Public Television) was honored for Outstanding Regional Content in a Daytime Genre.

Stay tuned for the latest updates on Daily Soaps.