The 2026 Daytime Emmys saw many records set on Friday night, including winning streaks, long gaps between wins, and significant breakthrough moments. Among the historic results were wins for soap operas General Hospital, The Young and the Restless, and Beyond The Gates, plus the news magazine Entertainment Tonight.
Here are the multiple milestones that occurred during the Daytime Emmy ceremony.
General Hospital continues its streak in Best Drama Series
This was the sixth year in a row that General Hospital won Best Drama Series, setting a record for the longest winning streak by a daytime drama. No other show has won more than three consecutive times: Santa Barbara won from 1988 to 1990, The Bold and the Beautiful from 2009 to 2011, and General Hospital from 1995 to 1997. The show also holds the record for most wins in the category, with 19, eight ahead of The Young and the Restless in second all time.
Tamara Tunie becomes the second Black actress to win Best Actress
Beyond the Gates made history with a record 15 Daytime Emmy nominations for a soap in its first year of eligibility. It finished the night with four wins,, including Best Lead Actress for daytime veteran Tamara Tunie as Anita Williams Dupree. She is the second Black actress to win in the category, following Mishael Morgan, who won in 2022 for The Young and the Restless. Tunie and her co-star Karla Mosley also made history as the first two Black actresses nominated in the category in the same year. Other Black women who won that night included Keke Palmer, Tracee Ellis Ross, and Star Jones.
Roger Howarth wins his second Emmy Award 32 years after his first
Roger Howarth sets a landmark achievement for the longest gap between each of his Emmy wins at 32 years, after his Best Supporting Actor victory for The Young and the Restless as Matt Clark. His first Emmy nomination and win came in 1994 for Best Younger Actor for One Life to Live, and he has been nominated three subsequent times for One Life to Live and As the World Turns. The gap is especially striking because Howarth joined The Young and the Restless in November 2025 and had only about two months of eligibility.
Beth Maitland has the longest gap between Emmy wins for an actress, winning 41 years apart
But the longer gap belongs to Howarth’s The Young and the Restless co-star Beth Maitland, who won Best Supporting Actress 41 years after her first victory. Her first nomination and win in the category came in 1985. Since then, she had been nominated once more for the series, in 2019. Her latest win sets a record for the longest gap between acting Emmy wins by a woman.
Entertainment Tonight wins its 11th trophy in 13 years
Since the Best Entertainment News Program was created in 2014, Entertainment Tonight has won an impressive 11 times from 13 consecutive nominations, extending its record for the number of wins in this category. The show has triumphed the last seven straight years.
See the complete list of 2026 Daytime Emmy winners.
2026 Daytime Emmy Awards: Red carpet arrival photos
