Days Of Our Lives
Candid Chandler Massey! DAYS Star On His Emmy Win, Will's Romance & Life In L.A.!
Photo Credit: Ryan Forbes
In a brand new feature out today from On-Air On-Soaps Michael Fairman for Frontiers L.A, Days of our Lives Daytime Emmy winning star, Chandler Massey (Will Horton) is front and center stage revealing many sides to him perhaps his fans and DAYS viewers did not know in a piece entitled, Candid Chandler!
The feature is also the cover story for the publications latest issue which hits newsstands tomorrow in the Southern California area. However, the Frontiers L.A. website is loaded with fantastic new and never-seen-before photos of Chandler from their exclusive photo shoot and the entire article!
From the night Chandler won the Daytime Emmy, to his upcoming budding romance on-screen between Will and Sonny (Freddie Smith), to the intriguing relationship between Will and EJ (James Scott), Chandler gives his thoughts. In addition, we learn what Chandler likes to do during his time away from the set of the NBC soap, and what a day in his life in Los Angeles is like! Here are a few excerpts!
Chandler on what he wishes he would have added in his Emmy acceptance speech: “I could have articulated more that I wanted to thank the people who watch and support the story. Accolades are great, but the real award is hearing people say that they related to it, or it moved them. I wish I would have thanked the viewers for that. Who knows? Maybe one day I will get another chance!”
Chandler on the long talked about possible romance between Will and Sonny finally coming to fruition: “It looks that way. I think it’s going to be something that hopefully the viewers have wanted to see. If I could give them that, that would be great. I am outspoken about how much I like the platonic friendship of Will and Sonny because I thought it was fresh. Regardless of how I feel about that, I am still going to play that to the best of my ability.”
Chandler on the twisted on-screen relationship between EJ and Will, where he reveals it may be coming to a halt: “All good things have to come to an end. I can’t help but hold back a smile, and sometimes I don’t when I work with James Scott (EJ). I think it’s hands-down my favorite relationship that Will has. How many people aren’t afraid to do whatever it takes to do what they want? That is what makes EJ so attractive to Will.”
Make sure to check out the entire photo spread and feature here! Then let us know your thoughts on Candid Chandler, his Emmy victory for Will’s coming out story, his thoughts on Will’s relationships with Sonny and EJ, and from reading the article, what you were surprised to find out about this young star!
I just googled… how old is Chandler Massey? 21 years old. Impressive Portfolio.
His character, Will, is acting and/or showing the audience….what he is capable of. for both the actor… his tour de force… acting talent… and totally encompassing… Will’s persona. Will, per se… is involved with the whole canvas… story… of DAYS. You could clearly see why. Congrats! again… on the deserved Accolade… the Emmy WIN.
Seriously… how devoted are soap fans…. If I saw Chandler Massey and say… “Johnny Depp”, walking down the street…. it’d be Chandler, i’d say hi and gush about.
for all the gush’ing i do about DAYS… I love the cast… and Chandler, is learning from the best…. Marlena, EJ, Sammi, Kate, Sonny… to name a few.
The interview… with Eileen Davidson… YAY! KRISTEN… she’s raving about the Will storyline… w/Sonny. How great is this…
NOW. DAYS… PLEASE… Write, for Justin and Adrienne… stellar, intelligent, acting two-some… these two would bring to the screen, I still say… hot triangle wit Kayla.
I still, have to keep adding… that, Shane… bring him back… for a triangle… for Billie, and Hope… and even… Kristen.
Love him. Excited they’re going forth with Will and Sonny, though I also hear what Chandler is saying in regards to liking the platonic relationship they have too. In any event, I’ll be watching no matter what. Great interview, Michael.
@Jules. I agree with you and CM. That to pair Will and Sonny… would lessen both their “playing” field. They should be best friends. after all, when someone is “coming” out… truly, a friend was much more important. this would keep open, both actors, the opportunity to stretch their acting chops.
The dude has a great career ahead of him. He has chemistry with everyone!
God he is so hot! Especially with a tan!
Read the article. bummer. I was kinda hopin he’s gay. 🙂
Can’t believe he’s only 21! Great pictures! Love the dynamic between Will and EJ so I hope that’s not ending. Reminds me of relationship between EJ and Stefano.
Chandler has done a great job on Days and totally deserved that Emmy. Shouldn’t be his last one either!
Thursday – 07/26.
Just saw the cover of Soap Opera Digest at the grocery store today.
“EJ and Will – more than just “friends” ?. Hello.
I didn’t have a chance to read the article… This doesn’t surprise me… it kinda crossed my mind… with the Intense storyline… etc….
Just saying…. EJ has that commanding presence that would mow any one under who was caught up in his spell…. animal magnetism…. as it were… and he’s that BIG.
then, it crossed my mind… a little too much info…. TMI. Sammi and Will both “in Love” with EJ.
having said this… I think it’s infatuation on Will’s part…. hopefully, nothing more. Sonny will bring him down to earth.
also, I don’t know if they should venture in this area… as it’s too much… it would “ruin”? the characters “future” storyline and “future” plot lines?
Soap Opera digest… pressing too much?
EJ is not gay so that ends the pairup right there. It may be a bromance. SOD and other mags, put things on the cover to get you to buy. Have found that before that they’ll mislead. James Scott does say that EJ is not above using Will’s attraction.
@mo.
I couldn’t agree with you more… whew! EJ is THE man. wow, i do like your last line… EJ is not above using Will’s attraction. Dag! vulnerabilites…. mode. LOL. Those DiMera’s… I can’t wait for Kristen to waltz, slither, etc… back in to town. i’ve always considered the DiMera’s high brow…. yet, they too, succumb to Stefano’s own machinations… Kristen, EJ, Stefano… a nice recipe to keep my attention.
Friday – 07/27
Carrie and Austin Leave Salem – their last DAY. 07-24.
I cried. These two…. “fans”…. were promised hoopla, champagne, intrigue… alas, they’re gone.
Carrie and Rafe’s goodbye scenes… were riveting, at best. My reason, (wishing DAYS would) Keep Christie Clark… for Galen’s Rafe. Rafe seemed so natural and comfortable, with someone.
Carrie… “knowing you has changed me forever.” “because of YOU… I know what real friendship, and real love is supposed to be.”
I bought it. Rafealicious.
Austin is at the Brady Pub with Mums Kate. “I’m going to Miss MY mom.” Austin’s oblivious ways and means was fodder for camp laugh out loud… and that’s a good thing… he can do comedy… his nuanced, demeanor, Nice Body language. lent credible enuf… with how he was written.
I liked the scene at the end of the hour… when, he’s in the BRADY Pub… staring at the door… “will Carrie, show up?”… and the closed sign is staring him in the face… he turns to pay his check… turns around and Carries smiling and beaming at him. i mean, come on… love does that to you.
Till we all meet again.
Thank god Will and EJ might be coming to an end. They are repulsive to watch. About time Will gets involved in a real romance and that it’s going to be with Sonny. Wish Chandler sounded as excited as fans about Will finally getting a romance. Will recently struggled to come out so it would be a failed story to not show him find love since that was supposed to be the original driving force for Will to come out.
Beyond the Gates
53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Nominations Announced: ‘The Young and the Restless’ Tops With 18, ‘Beyond the Gates’ With 16
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) today announced the full list of nominees for the upcoming 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards, and it was CBS daytime’s The Young and the Restless and broadcast television newest soap opera, Beyond the Gates that racked up the most nominations with 18 and 16, respectively.
The full reveal on Tuesday follows the announcement of several major categories including Lead Actor and Actress on Monday via Extra and Entertainment Tonight and The View today revealing Daytime Drama Series and more.
The 53rd Annual Daytime Emmys ceremony is set to take place on Friday, October 30 at the historic Hollywood Palladium in Hollywood, California.
Photo: CBS
In a statement, Adam Sharp, President and CEO of NATAS expressed, “We’re proud to honor the extraordinary talent and creative teams whose work continues to define and elevate daytime television, As the Daytime landscape evolves and new forms of storytelling emerge, we remain committed to recognizing the innovation happening across the industry.”
“Each year, the Daytime Emmy Awards celebrate the creativity, passion, and dedication that drive this vibrant community of storytellers,” said Rachel Schwartz, Head of the Daytime Emmy Awards. “Congratulations to this year’s nominees, whose work continues to entertain, inspire and connect with audiences every day. We look forward to celebrating their remarkable achievements in Hollywood this October.”
The Daytime Emmy Awards have recognized outstanding achievement in television programming and crafts since 1974, honoring work in a variety of genres, including daytime dramas, talk series, entertainment news, culinary, adventure, instructional and legal/courtroom programming.
This year’s Lifetime Achievement Honoree, Gold & Silver Circle Inductees, and ceremony host will be announced at a later date.
Now below, check out the nominees in the daytime drama, talk show, entertainment news series and creative arts categories and congratulations to all!
Photo: JPI
Outstanding Daytime Drama Series
Beyond the Gates
Days of Our Lives
General Hospital
The Young and the Restless
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Daytime Drama Series
Stacy Haiduk (as Kristen DiMera), Days of Our Lives
Karla Mosley (as Dani Dupree), Beyond the Gates
Michelle Stafford (as Phyllis Summers), The Young and the Restless
Heather Tom (as Katie Logan), The Bold and the Beautiful
Tamara Tunie (as Anita Williams Dupree), Beyond the Gates
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Daytime Drama Series
Eric Braeden (as Victor Newman), The Young and the Restless
Steve Burton (as Jason Morgan), General Hospital
Scott Clifton (as Liam Spencer), The Bold and the Beautiful
Thorsten Kaye (as Ridge Forrester), The Bold and the Beautiful
Christian Jules Le Blanc (as Michael Baldwin), The Young and the Restless
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Daytime Drama Series
Linsey Godfrey (as Sarah Horton), Days of Our Lives
Camryn Grimes (as Mariah Copeland), The Young and the Restless
Beth Maitland (as Traci Abbott), The Young and the Restless
Trisha Mann-Grant (as Leslie Thomas), Beyond the Gates
Amanda Setton (as Brook Lynn Quartermaine), General Hospital
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Daytime Drama Series
Sean Dominic (as Nate Hastings), The Young and the Restless
Timon Kyle Durrett (as Bill Hamilton), Beyond the Gates
Michael Graziadei (as Daniel Romalotti), The Young and the Restless
Roger Howarth (as Matt Clark), The Young and the Restless
Mike Manning (as Bradley “Smitty” Smith), Beyond the Gates
Lawrence Saint-Victor (as Carter Walton), The Bold and the Beautiful
Outstanding Emerging Talent in a Daytime Drama Series
Braedyn Bruner (as Emma Scorpio-Drake), General Hospital
Al Calderon (as Javier Hernandez), Days of Our Lives
Alice Halsey (as Rachel Black), Days of Our Lives
Giovanni Mazza (as Gio Palmieri), General Hospital
Ambyr Michelle (as Eva Thomas), Beyond the Gates
Arielle Prepetit (as Naomi Hamilton Hawthorne), Beyond the Gates
Outstanding Guest Performance in a Daytime Drama Series
Jasmine Burke (as June Hughes), Beyond the Gates
Jeff Kober (as Cyrus Renault), General Hospital
Eva LaRue (as Natalia Rogers-Ramirez), General Hospital
Christopher Sean (as Paul Narita), Days of Our Lives
Ray Wise (as Ian Ward), The Young and the Restless
Outstanding Writing Team for a Daytime Drama Series
Beyond the Gates
The Bold and the Beautiful
Days of Our Lives
General Hospital
Outstanding Directing Team for a Daytime Drama Series
Days of Our Lives
General Hospital
The Young and the Restless
Outstanding Casting for a Daytime Program
Beyond the Gates
General Hospital
The Young and the Restless
Outstanding Daytime Talk Series
3rd Hour of TODAY
The Drew Barrymore Show
The Kelly Clarkson Show
Live With Kelly and Mark
TODAY With Jenna & Friends
The View
Outstanding Daytime Talk Series Host
Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin & Ana Navarro, The View
Kelly Clarkson, The Kelly Clarkson Show
Tamron Hall, Tamron Hall
Jennifer Hudson, The Jennifer Hudson Show
Sherri Shepherd, Sherri
Outstanding Entertainment News Series
Access Hollywood
Entertainment Tonight
Extra
Outstanding Daytime Personality (Daily)
Mona Kosar Abdi, Derek Hough & Terri Seymour, Extra
Cassie DiLaura, Denny Directo, Kevin Frazier, Rachel Smith & Nischelle Turner, Entertainment Tonight
Scott Evans, Zuri Hall, Kit Hoover & Mario Lopez, Access Hollywood
Star Jones & Corey Jovan, Divorce Court
Outstanding Arts and Popular Culture Program
Beyond the Gates: Welcome to the Neighborhood — An Entertainment Tonight Special
Off Script With The Hollywood Reporter
Variety & CNN Actors on Actors
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
Working In the Theatre
Outstanding Music Direction and Composition for a Daytime
Beyond the Gates, Episode 103
Have Guitar Will Travel World
The Kelly Clarkson Show Episode 5033
Let Frankie Cook,” Getting the Band Back Together
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Outstanding Technical Direction and Video for a Daytime Program
Beyond the Gates, Episode 104
The Bold and the Beautiful,” Episode 9511
Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade”
The Jennifer Hudson Show, ” Episode 4041
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade”
Outstanding Hairstyling and Makeup for a Daytime Program
Beyond the Gates, Episode 103
General Hospital, Episode 15719
The Kelly Clarkson Show,” Episode 5033
The Young and the Restless,” Episode 13273
So, what do you think of the 53rd annual Daytime Emmy nominations? Who are you happy to see receive a nomination and who do you think was snubbed? Weigh-in via the comment section.
Monday on Entertainment Tonight, the second set of nominations for the 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards were announced which included the highly-coveted Outstanding Lead Performance in a Daytime Drama Series – Actress and Outstanding Daytime Talk Series.
ET followed suit after Extra announced the nominees, as previously reported, in the Outstanding Lead Performance in a Daytime Drama Series – Actor and Outstanding Daytime Talk Host.
Now, five leading ladies of the soaps are vying for the gold for Lead Actress and the category marked the first-ever nominations for CBS daytime’s Beyond the Gates when two actresses made the final cut. Only General Hospital is not represented among the actresses this year after Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis Davis) took home the trophy last year.
Photo: NATAS
THE FIVE LEADING LADIES OF THE SOAPS ARE …
The 2026 Lead Actress nominees are: Stacy Haiduk (Kristen DiMera), Days of Our Lives, Karla Mosley (Dani Dupree), Beyond the Gates, Michelle Stafford (Phyllis Summers), The Young and the Restless, Heather Tom (Katie Logan), The Bold and the Beautiful, and Tamara Tunie (Anita Dupree), Beyond the Gates.
This marks the first Daytime Emmy nominations for Karla Mosley and Tamara Tunie. In addition, this marks the first-time in her career that Stacy Haiduk had received a Lead Actress nod after two Supporting Actress nominations.
Meanwhile, Michelle Stafford had previously won 3 Emmys – 2 for Lead Actress and 1 for Supporting, but this recognition makes it her 11th overall nomination.
Heather Tom currently is tied for the most all-time Daytime Emmy wins with One Life to Live alum and General Hospital guest star, Erika Slezak. The B&B star has 19 nominations throughout her career.
Photo: ABC
DAYTIME TALK SERIES
In the Outstanding Daytime Talk Series category, the nominees are: 3rd Hour of Today, The Drew Barrymore Show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Live with Kelly and Mark, Today with Jenna and Friends and The View.
“We’re proud to honor the extraordinary talent and creative teams whose work continues to define and elevate daytime television,” NATAS president and CEO Adam Sharp said in a statement on the nominations. “As the Daytime landscape evolves and new forms of storytelling emerge, we remain committed to recognizing the innovation happening across the industry.”
The rest of the nominations will be revealed tomorrow on Tuesday July 14 starting on The View and then the full list of nominees in both the main and creative arts will be released by NATAS. The 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards are slated for October 30th in Hollywood, California.
So, what do you think about the women who are vying for the Lead Actress Daytime Emmy? Happy with who got in? Who do you feel got snubbed? What do you think of the nominees for Daytime Talk Series? Weigh-in via the comment section.
It’s Daytime Emmy nomination week, and as previously reported things kick-off on Monday, July 13 when Entertainment Tonight (7pm ET) will announce the nominees for Lead Actress category and Daytime Talk Series for the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards. In addition on Monday, Extra (7pm ET) will reveal the nominees for Lead Actor and Daytime Talk Host.
On Tuesday, The View (11am ET) starts things off with their announcement of Daytime Drama, Entertainment News program and Outstanding Daytime Personality-Daily. That is followed by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) full reveal of all the categories beginning at 12noon ET/9am PT on their website and their official social handles on X and Instagram.
Then, Tuesday night at 8pm ET/5pm PT join Michael Fairman as he hosts his 12th annual Daytime Emmy Nominations Special 2026 live on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel where he will chat with some of the just announced nominees as we celebrate the hard work of the men and women in front of the camera who will be going for gold.
WHEN ARE THE DAYTIME EMMYS?
This year, the 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be handed out on October 30 in ceremonies in Hollywood, California (Venue yet to be revealed). At that time, as like last year, both the major categories and creative arts will be presented. There is no word yet on a broadcast partner for the annual celebration of daytime programming, or if it will soley be streamed on NATAS’ watch.theemmys.tv and various apps and platforms.
WHO WILL BE APPEARING ON THE DAYTIME EMMY NOMINATIONS SPECIAL 2026?
Throughout Tuesday, keep an eye on Michael Fairman TV’s social media handles on X, Facebook and Instagram, for updates of who will be expected to appear on our live show.
If you have a question or comment for one of the nominees, or on the nominations, we can encourage you to join us in the live chat on Tuesday night.
So, who are you hoping lands a nomination from Beyond the Gates, General Hospital, Days of Our Lives, The Bay, The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless? Let us know via the comment section. More Tuesday!
53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Nominations Announced: ‘The Young and the Restless’ Tops With 18, ‘Beyond the Gates’ With 16
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53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Nominations: Outstanding Lead Actress Drama Series
53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Nominations: Outstanding Lead Actor Drama Series
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‘Daytime Emmy Nominations Special 2026’ Live on the Michael Fairman Channel
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GENERAL HOSPITAL: Jason Reconnects with Danny; Tristan Roberts Arrives in Port Charles, Lots of Nods to #16
GENERAL HOSPITAL Spoilers Promo: Jason’s Back, Drew Begins to Make His Move, Portia Goes Into a Labor
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