The 52nd Daytime Emmy Awards took place at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on Friday, October 17, 2025, celebrating achievements across drama, talk, lifestyle, and instructional television. “General Hospital” led the night in the marquee races, while Sir David Attenborough, 99, set a historic age record. Below is the full picture—every winner and the standout quotes from the stage—so you can scan the complete list of daytime Emmy winners 2025 and quickly spot the biggest headlines from the Daytime Emmys.
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Top Headlines & Records
- Sir David Attenborough (age 99) became the oldest Daytime Emmy winner ever, taking Outstanding Daytime Personality – Non-Daily for Netflix’s Secret Lives of Orangutans, surpassing Dick Van Dyke’s prior age record of 98 set in 2024.
- General Hospital won Outstanding Daytime Drama Series and swept major craft categories (Writing & Directing), plus multiple acting wins, to dominate the evening.
- Mario Lopez hosted; segments and clips were tied to Access Hollywood the week of October 13 and again on October 20.
- Veteran journalist Deborah Norville received the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Drama Winners & Notable Quotes
Outstanding Daytime Drama Series: General Hospital — ABC.
Lead Actor, Daytime Drama: Paul Telfer as Xander Kiriakis (Days of Our Lives) — Peacock. In an emotional speech, Telfer said, “My mom always loved soaps and she loved villains… to win this on a soap opera playing the villain is really amazing. Thanks, Mom.”
Lead Actress, Daytime Drama: Nancy Lee Grahn as Alexis Davis (General Hospital) — ABC. Grahn urged the audience to stay engaged: “Our democracy is worth fighting for… now is the time… to show up, stand up, speak up for human decency, for democracy,” punctuating it with repeated “Stand up!” chants.
Supporting Actor, Daytime Drama: Jonathan Jackson as Lucky Spencer (General Hospital) — ABC.
Supporting Actress, Daytime Drama: Susan Walters as Diane Jenkins Abbott (The Young and the Restless) — CBS. Walters also singled out husband Linden Ashby from the stage.
Guest Performance, Daytime Drama: Alley Mills as Heather Webber (General Hospital) — ABC. Mills added, “We’re living in really dark times… We just got to keep our spirits high.”
Emerging Talent, Daytime Drama: Lisa Yamada as Luna Nozawa (The Bold and the Beautiful) — CBS — the inaugural winner of this new category.
Talk, Personality & Lifestyle Highlights
- Outstanding Daytime Talk Series: Live With Kelly and Mark — Disney Entertainment Distribution.
- Outstanding Daytime Talk Series Host: Drew Barrymore (The Drew Barrymore Show) — CBS Media Ventures.
- Outstanding Daytime Personality – Daily: Cassie DiLaura, Denny Directo, Kevin Frazier, Rachel Smith & Nischelle Turner (Entertainment Tonight) — CBS Media Ventures.
- Outstanding Daytime Personality – Non-Daily: Sir David Attenborough (Secret Lives of Orangutans) — Netflix (Silverback Films).
- Outstanding Lifestyle Program: You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment — Netflix.
- Outstanding Instructional/How-To Program: Fixer Upper: The Lakehouse — Magnolia Network.
- Outstanding Culinary Instructional Series: Delicious Miss Brown — Food Network.
- Outstanding Culinary Cultural Series: Chasing Flavor with Carla Hall — Max.
Writing, Directing & Casting
- Writing Team, Daytime Drama: General Hospital — ABC.
- Directing Team, Daytime Drama: General Hospital — ABC.
- Outstanding Casting: Days of Our Lives — Peacock.
Venue, Date & Honors
The ceremony took place on October 17, 2025, at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California, with Mario Lopez as host. Deborah Norville accepted the Lifetime Achievement Award, while NATAS also recognized Jane Elliott (Gold Circle) and Silver Circle inductees Greg Barna, Judy Blye Wilson, Star Jones, Kate Linder, and James Reynolds.
Full Winners List — Drama, Talk & More
- Outstanding Daytime Drama Series: General Hospital — ABC.
- Lead Actor: Paul Telfer — Days of Our Lives.
- Lead Actress: Nancy Lee Grahn — General Hospital.
- Supporting Actor: Jonathan Jackson — General Hospital.
- Supporting Actress: Susan Walters — The Young and the Restless.
- Guest Performance: Alley Mills — General Hospital.
- Emerging Talent: Lisa Yamada — The Bold and the Beautiful.
- Daytime Talk Series: Live With Kelly and Mark.
- Daytime Talk Series Host: Drew Barrymore.
- Daytime Personality – Daily: Team Entertainment Tonight (Cassie DiLaura, Denny Directo, Kevin Frazier, Rachel Smith & Nischelle Turner).
- Daytime Personality – Non-Daily: Sir David Attenborough.
- Writing Team (Drama): General Hospital.
- Directing Team (Drama): General Hospital.
- Casting: Days of Our Lives.
- Lifestyle Program: You Are What You Eat: A Twin Experiment.
- Instructional/How-To: Fixer Upper: The Lakehouse.
- Culinary Instructional: Delicious Miss Brown.
- Culinary Cultural: Chasing Flavor with Carla Hall.
FAQ: Daytime Emmy Winners 2025
- Who won Daytime Drama? General Hospital.
- Who set the age record? Sir David Attenborough, age 99.
- Which talk show won? Live With Kelly and Mark.
- Who hosted the ceremony? Mario Lopez.
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