Daytime Emmys Shocker: Two Categories Eliminated, Including Younger Performer in a Drama

Rebecca Iannucci
·2 min read
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The Daytime Emmys have announced a fresh wave of changes ahead of this year’s ceremony, including the elimination of the Outstanding Younger Performer in a Daytime Drama Series category.

The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, which awards the Emmys, did not provide a reason for the category’s nixing, but noted that younger performers — that is, actors under the age of 25, per the category’s previous rules — remain eligible to submit for lead acting, supporting acting or guest acting categories.

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The accolade for younger actors has been awarded since 1985, though the categories were initially separated between Outstanding Younger Actor and Outstanding Younger Actress. Those were merged, beginning with the 2020 ceremony, in the wake of conversations surrounding gender identity.

Previous recipients of the younger performer awards include Jonathan Jackson (a three-time winner for General Hospital), Chandler Massey (a three-time winner for Days of Our Lives), Julianne Moore (As the World Turns), Anne Heche (Another World), Tom Pelphrey (Guiding Light) and Sarah Michelle Gellar (All My Children). General Hospital‘s Eden McCoy took home the most recent — and now last — trophy in 2023, besting Days of Our Lives’ Cary Christopher and The Bold and the Beautiful’s Henry Joseph Samiri.

In other Daytime Emmy changes, the Outstanding Promotional Announcement category has also been axed, while the award for Daytime Program Host has been split into two categories: Daytime Personality (Daily) and Daytime Personality (Non-Daily). Conversely, the awards for Outstanding Writing for a Daytime Non-Fiction Series and Outstanding Writing for a Daytime Non-Fiction Special have merged into one category, now called Outstanding Writing for a Daytime Non-Fiction Program.

Nominations for the 51st annual Daytime Emmys will be announced in April. What do you make of these new changes?

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