2026 Daytime Emmy Awards Reveal First Lead Actor Nominees
- Daytime Soap Stop
- 18 hours ago
- 2 min read
The first wave of nominees for the 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards has officially been unveiled, with five daytime heavyweights earning recognition in the Outstanding Lead Performer in a Daytime Drama Series — Actor category.
2026 Daytime Emmy Awards Reveal First Lead Actor Nominees
The nominees are:
Eric Braeden (The Young and the Restless)
Steve Burton (General Hospital)
Scott Clifton (The Bold and the Beautiful)
Thorsten Kaye (The Bold and the Beautiful)
Christian Jules Le Blanc (The Young and the Restless)
The announcement marks the first portion of this year's nominations, with Entertainment Weekly first reporting the category after it was revealed on Extra. Additional categories are scheduled to be unveiled through Entertainment Tonight, while the complete list of nominees will be released on Tuesday, July 14.
The 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards are scheduled for October 30, 2026. However, organizers have yet to announce the ceremony's Hollywood venue or an official broadcast partner. As in previous years, streaming the event through NATAS' watch.theemmys.tv platform remains a possibility. Viewers are also still waiting to learn who will host the ceremony, as well as this year's Lifetime Achievement Award recipient and the Gold & Silver Circle honorees.
With more nominations set to be revealed, the competition is only just beginning as daytime television's biggest stars prepare for one of the genre's most prestigious nights.
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