The 50th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards Telecast was more often than not, about acknowledging those who are no longer with us, while acknowledging the accomplishments of the daytime community.

The broadcast which aired on Friday night, December 15th on CBS and streamed on Paramount +, was already facing a challenging time with the show being postponed for months due to the Hollywood strikes, and trying to get the awards handed out before the end of the year and prior to the start of the 2024 competition.

In an 18-month period since the last Emmys, the producers had the task of how to address the loss of so many beloved daytime stars and beloved behind the scenes personnel in a heartbreaking year. While the telecast may have lacked in some of the overall production elements, it more than made up for in heart. The heart came from the often emotional speeches, and testimonials, and the In Memoriam segment within the ceremony.

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The first award of the evening was for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series and its recipient was the late Sonya Eddy (ex-Epiphany, General Hospital). Accepting on behalf of Eddy was her dear friend and business partner, Tyler Ford. With a heavy heart, Ford read from his phone the following statement. “Well, accepting these flowers is bittersweet, but I know that Sonya would only relish in the sweet. I want to thank Frank Valentini (EP, GH) more than anything … for being a faithful friend, and Disney/ABC, and the cast and crew of General Hospital for embracing her for 16 years.  I want to thank the Academy for acknowledging her contribution and craft. Sonya never aspired to be an actor, and while her talent was undeniable, I’m sure that she’s more overjoyed by being remembered for how she made people feel onscreen and off. Thank you.”

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The second award of the night was for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, which went to General Hospital’s Robert Gossett, who plays Marshall Ashford, and played opposite the late Sonya Eddy. Taking to the stage to receive his Emmy, Gossett addressed the overwhelming loss at GH this past year and in his own personal life.

Gossett shared, “We had loss in our family at GH. We lost my leading lady, Sonya Eddy, and our beloved producer Nneka Garland, and I lost my son. My son, who I know is up there watching and yelling and jumping and screaming. I miss you Lukey. I miss you every day. But, I have my other son here, Caleb, and I love you son.”

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The Young and the Restless took home the Writing Team award for a Drama Series for their storyline on suicide prevention, which featured at its epicenter critically-acclaimed performances by Emmy nominees: Melissa Claire Egan (Chelsea) and Jason Thompson (Billy). Accepting the award was Y&R’s EP and head writer, Josh Griffith. In his acceptance speech, Josh noted: “This is a wonderful honor. We felt it was a very timely and important story to tell. I’m thrilled we were able to pull it off. I’d like to thank Dr. Dan Reidenberg for helping guide us through it.”

Josh concluded by sharing, “Thanks to our terrific writing team, especially my awesome co-head writer, Amanda Beall. Thanks to the magnificent actors, directors, producers, and crew and staff that make magic every day, you are the best in the business. Lastly, thank you to our fans. We would not be here without you.”

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General Hospital’s Eden McCoy (Josslyn) took home the gold for the Outstanding Younger Performer in a Drama Series, and when she took the stage for her acceptance speech, it comes just over a month after her beloved mother, Natasha, passed away.

Eden shared: “I am indebted to the GH, writers, producers, directors, Mark Teschner (casting director) … you started this journey for me. You’re forever a friend.  Frank Valentini (EP, GH), you took a chance and you changed my life. I love you more than you know. My wonderful cast and crew, thank you for always elevating my work. You know who you are. Laura Wright (Carly, GH), you are so much more than a mother and so much more than a mentor. You give new meaning to the word friend. Dad, I love you. I’m so happy you’re here. This is for, and because of my mother. I just wanna say it’s not lost on me what an absolute privilege it is to be able to do something that not only I like to do, but love to do for a living, and I love what I do. So, it’s really easy to be grateful on nights like this, but I am grateful every day.”

Courtesy/CBS

Later in the telecast, Entertainment Tonight’s Nischelle Turner (who was co-hosting the Daytime Emmys with Kevin Frazier) walked down into the crowd and to the table where Days of our Lives star, Stephen Nichols (Steve)m was seated. Nichols stood up to speak about one of the most memorable moments in Daytime Emmy history. That would be back in 2016 when the late Tyler Christopher took home the Lead Actor in a Drama Series Emmy for his work on General Hospital. Together, Nichols and Christopher shared many a scene on GH as Stefan and Nikolas Cassadine, and formed a bond which they would share for several decades.

Through his tears, Stephen expressed: “My moment is about my good friend, my dear friend, Tyler Christopher. I met Tyler at his audition and I knew instantly that though he was young, he really had something. So, I took the liberty of giving him a book on acting that helped me when I was first starting out. It was, The Actor by Michael Chekhov.  Well, 2016 Daytime Emmys, Tyler wins for Outstanding Lead Actor. What did he do then? He wanted to thank everybody who got him there, and the next thing he did was, he scanned the audience and he said, “Where’s Stephen? Stephen Nichols? Where are you brother?” We caught each other’s eyes, and then he held up that very same now dog-eared copy of the book that I had given him, and he thanked me. And that was a moment, and I miss you, Tyler, and I love you. We all love you.”

Alley Mills, who so many people remember as the mom in the sitcom The Wonder Years, and then years later as Pam Douglas on The Bold and the Beautiful, took home the gold for her work as Heather Webber on General Hospital in the Outstanding Guest Performer in a Drama Series category.  In previous interviews with Michael Fairman TV, Mills discussed how landing the role as a recast Heather came at a time following the loss of her beloved husband, actor and comedian, Orson Bean.

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On stage at the Daytime Emmys, Mills addressed the room with Emmy in hand: “I just have to say, I’m honored to be in this family, this daytime family. It’s the hardest working group of people I’ve ever seen in show business.” After acknowledging her B&B family, Mills added, “I really have to thank Chris Van Etten (co-head writer, GH) for writing this crazy character. Bless your heart, boy, and Frank Valentini … I feel like I was seen the first second that I was chained to the bed and met you. Like you, you look right into people’s souls and it makes you feel like you’re in the theater. It’s amazing. But mostly, at this moment in my life, I have to thank God because it happened at a very tender moment for me. I just lost my beloved husband. It was pretty traumatic, and then I get asked to play a seriously traumatized person who kills a lot of people, but she’s got a heart of gold.  I promise you, and she’s barreling towards the light all the time. And it gave me that ability to keep going and barrel towards the light. The world is so screwed up right now that all I can say is to all you traumatized people out there, and I’m the head of the homeless committee in Venice … just keep barreling towards the light. I love you all. Thank you so much.”

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Connie Chung was on hand to introduce the In Memoriam Segment. She made specific remarks about the loss of TV pioneer, Barbara Walters.  Chung shared: “Barbara Walters revolutionized the face of Daytime television with her groundbreaking show The View. Barbara was the creator, the producer, the star – the engine behind it. And this was on top of her pioneering career in news and interviews. She was the icon who paved the way for all women in television news, especially me. She mom-ed me. And although they would never admit it, she taught the men a thing or two, I can’t fathom she is gone. We remember her and all the others who passed, for their contributions to television.”

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Next, the In Memoriam Segment featured a performance by Grammy Award-winner, Jennifer Nettles as one by one so many members of the daytime community were recognized including: Billy Miller, Anne Heche, Tyler Christopher, Sonya Eddy, Nneka Garland, Jackie Zeman, Andrea Evans, and others. It should be noted that Evans’ leading role as Tina Lord on One Life to Live was not mentioned under her credit, but she was noted for another role she played within her daytime career, that of, Rebecca Hotchkiss on Passions. For those in the community who has suffered such loss in 2023, it was a startling reminder of just how many talented people we had to say goodbye to that are forever in our hearts.

Susan Lucci (ex-Erica, All My Children) was on hand to receive her Lifetime Achievement Award from Shemar Moore (ex-Malcolm, Y&R). Years earlier in 1999, it was Moore who famously shouted from the stage, “The streak is over!”  Finally after 19 tries, Susan won her first and only Lead Actress Daytime Emmy.  Now in 2023, Lucci was honored for her iconic contributions to the genre.  As with other 2023 honorees, Lucci was being acknowledged without her beloved husband and manager, Helmut Huber by her side. Huber passed away suddenly in March of 2022. However, Susan was accompanied to the ceremony by their son, Andreas.

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Taking to the stage, Lucci, expressed: “How lucky was I to be put in the hands of Agnes Nixon. Agnes was the trailblazer. She was the visionary storyteller who gave me the part of a lifetime. The fabulously flawed Erica Kane.  I am so proud to be part of this community. This community of storytellers, in such a collaborative genre of writers, directors, producers, actors, design teams and crew. We get to do what we love to do. We get to entertain, and we tell stories. And in that, we illuminate our human condition. And sometimes on our best days. Even make a little magic.”

Susan closed by saying, “The icing on the cake for me tonight is that my son Andreas is with me. It means so much to me to have you here with me. Thank you so much for being with me tonight. And you know what else? I feel your dad’s presence here tonight with us, too. I thank my husband, Helmut Huber, because he has everything to do with my standing up here tonight, and receiving this incredible award.”

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At the conclusion of the telecast, and in the final award of the evening for Outstanding Drama Series, ABC’s General Hospital took the prize for the 16th time. On-stage, GH executive producer Frank Valentini closed the night’s awards by mentioning the tremendous loss of GH family members, Sonya Eddy and Nneka Garland.

So, which moment tugged at your heart the most during the 50th annual Daytime Emmy Awards? Tyler Ford’s speech accepting on behalf of the late Sonya Eddy? Robert Gossett mourning the loss of Sonya, Nneka and his real-life son? Eden McCoy winning the Emmy just after her beloved mother passed away? Alley Mills and Susan Lucci both acknowledging the loss of their longtime husbands? The In Memoriam Segment? Stephen Nichols telling the story of Tyler Christopher’s Daytime Emmy-winning speech and the book he had given him to read to help him become a better actor? Let us know via the comment section below.