Days Of Our Lives
DAYS Freddie Smith Video Interview: Sonny's Return, PaulSon, Will's Death, Uncle Vic & Titan!
Photo: MF Soaps Inc
This week on NBC’s Days of our Lives, Freddie Smith made his on-screen return as Sonny Kiriakis.
Now, fans of the long-running soap want to know what’s in store for the beloved Sonny, now that he has returned to Salem after many months away in Paris following the murder of his husband, Will Horton. When viewers last saw Sonny it was at Will’s funeral. Now Sonny has come back to Salem to help his Uncle Vic (John Aniston) with his company, Titan. But will he rekindle a romance with his former flame Paul (Christopher Sean)?
Earlier this week, On-Air On-Soaps Michael Fairman sat down for this brand new video interview with the popular actor at the set of NBC soap. There was plenty to discuss in our first in-depth video interview in almost a year. From Will’s murder and his funeral, to what Sonny’s return means for others on the canvas and more, Freddie and Michael took the time to address several burning questions and more. Here are a few excerpts from the full interview which you can view below!
Photo: MF Soaps Inc.
When asked if he was surprised to find out he was coming back to DAYS, Freddie responded, “I was just glad they didn’t kill me off … they just sent me away. So, I was like ‘cool’. We left on really good terms, so I was just happy when I got the call.”
If he knew what his storyline would be this time out before he started taping, Smith revealed, “I knew the story, and I really liked it. I remember thinking if I am going to go back, I would really love if this is the story, and then four or five days later, I talked to the producers and the writers, and … that was the story. That was the story that I wanted.”
As to what viewers will see or the focus of Sonny’s return, Freddie said, “I know everyone wants to see Sonny in love and that’s also important, but it’s also important to see Sonny outside of his relationship, because a relationship is only part of who you are, as well. Yeah, Sonny ran the club, but not really. (Laughs) It was more of a backdrop. So now I really like where they are going with it. I think people are going to enjoy Sonny’s return.”
Fans had commented as to why Sonny was seated in the second row at Will’s funeral, when he was his husband, Smith expressed, “I just sit down and shut up and go where I am told to go. I was so emotional that day that I didn’t even think about it. We all on the set were super-sad all week. Everyone was crying even off set, so I wasn’t being technical about it. I was just sitting there thinking about what was happening.”
Courtesy/FSmithInstagram
On what he thought when he heard that DAYS was killing-off his on-screen other half, Will Horton, Freddie related, “It was definitely a shock, but I also like that they go there, too. I know that might upset some people, but you got to mix things up. They didn’t treat us differently, which was ultimately what we were going for this whole time. I was definitely shocked (that were killing Will), but I actually heard about it before I knew I was coming back for it. But, I remember I was just in shock, just like I am now re-thinking it. You don’t expect it to happen.”
As to where Paul and Sonny’s relationship is heading, Smith added, “We have been working together a lot. I think the fans are going to be surprised that there is something else going on between Sonny and Paul aside from their past, and their romance, and their friendship. There is another element to Paul and Sonny that you are going to see.”
If DAYS were to write a storyline involving Sonny about an an issue facing the LGBT community, how would he feel about it, Freddie said, “I think so. Yet again, if it’s organic and they want to shed some light on an issue I think that’s very important to do so, but I also think a lot has been done since five years ago where you could flip through the TV channels and there were not a lot of gay storylines, now it’s more common.”
As to what his fans are sharing on social media and their hope’s for Sonny’s return, Smith added: “People are rooting for Paulson, Paulson, Paulson. But at the same time they are wondering if Will is coming back. That would be an interesting twist to see, but I don’t know if that’s going to happen.”
Watch Freddie’s full video interview below. Then let us know your thoughts on what Freddie shared, what you hope happens romantically and business-wise for Sonny, and how glad you are to see him back on DAYS in the comment below!
Will ‘IS’ ALIVE!..ALIVE!…ALIVE!…lol
i was so glad that sonny is back im happy as can be hope they bring the old Will back and i hope sonny stays on for god with days love watching him so much he is so cute and handsome man very good actor .
Welcome back Freddy smith, I am so happy he is back on Days. Freddie is a wonderful actor. I am hearing rumors that Louise Sorel Vivian Alamain is coming back to Days. What I am hearing is that she has Brady and Theresa baby. I hope this is true. I miss my Madame lol.
On Freddie’S Q&A he mentioned Sonny moves into the mansion. But in today’s show Deimos said he was keeping the mansion. So how does that work if Sonny is living there when none of the other family members are there (besides Deimos)?
I hope the writers haven’t forgotten that he is Ari’s father. It’s bad enough that they bungled it by having him leave town, which never rang true to me. He loves that little girl & was a better father to her than Will. No way would he have just left.
How exactly is he Ari’s father? Ex-stepfather at best.
A better father than Will ? That’s complete bull! Sonny abandoned Ari right after Will died, disgusting!!
Yes, because the way Will had Ari’s best interests at heart when he didn’t care that he could destroy his family by cheating on his husband twice, wasn’t disgusting at all.
Will was Ari’s primary caretaker and always shown as a loving father. Sonny? Walked out on her when he was mad at Will and then when Will died.
Will loved her, yes. And he tried. But he was not even remotely her only primary caretaker, especially not at first, and he wasn’t always a good one, either. He admitted himself that he broke the trust between two of Ari’s parents (affecting her home life), he threatened people in front of her, manipulated people in front of her, made the decision to take her away from her imprisoned mother and second father in a matter of 24 hours to chase a Hollywood dream he’d never mentioned having before, then neglected to get Ari BACK to her mother (chasing fame yet again) when he returned to Salem, and used her like a tool in order to lay guilt trips on Sonny. Like Sonny, Will was not perfect either, and he was not Ari’s only caretaker. He had help. Lots of it. Mostly notably in the form of Sonny, who treated her like his own daughter and put a roof over her head, one that gave Ari the chance to live with both her biological parents, and keeping his relationship in tact in the meantime. Sonny was written off the show, and yes, that means he left Ari. And that’s awful. But to try and reverse-justify the opinion that Sonny was a bad father when he was actually there, or that he didn’t shoulder just as much responsibility as Will did, doesn’t ring true to me at all.
Mad at Will??? Mad at Will, like he forgot to buy the milk. His husband cheated on him TWICE!!!!! But, of course it’s Will, so he’s allowed to do whatever he wants and all is forgiven, no matter who he hurts.
I hope they don’t ruin him. I’m very nervous about that.
He’s already ruined in my opinion. Asking his ex boyfriend to wait for him on his husband’s grave ruined him.. And i won’t mention him being a deadbeat father.
Yes, that scene with Paul at the gravesite was disgusting. I lost all respect for Sonny after that.
I agree with you John and also Kay. I couldn’t believe what the writes did with Paul & Sonny on top of Will’s grave. And then to have that photo of Will & Sonny blow away was despicable.
i am so glad to see sonny back i was praying that he would come back to days i wanted him to stay this tiem for real love having him back and he is a very good actor and love atching on days wish they would bring the old
This is a great interview Michael. I’m so happy Freddy discussed Sonny being seen as another member of the Salem community and not only as a gay character. I’m looking forward to seeing Sonny in the business world and his interactions with a wide variety of people.
LETS BRING BACK CHANDLER NOW !!!!!! LOve you Freddie so much <3
Great interview, Mr. Fairman!
Sunny/Sonny DAYS are here again!!
Great to have Freddie back as Sonny! Now make the people really, really happy and bring back Chandler Massey!!!!
Some of you live in La La land!! Freddie Smith obviously doesn’t want Will back, he wants to grab a little bit of the spotlight and that’s impossible with Will around ( he was always the driven force) ! He’s clearly rooting for (stupid) PaulSon.
I agree. I think Freddie really wanted it to be Sonny cheating on Will with Paul so the spotlight would be on him, but the writers made the focus on Will. Now with Will gone, the focus is on Sonny again, and that makes Freddie happy. He does not want Will on the show.
Could Freddie be any more tone deaf & clueless? He was okay with Sonny sitting in the second row of his own husband’s funeral and doesn’t even care that LGBT people were insulted & hurt by that? Sonny is a deadbeat father who is now working for his mobster uncle! That’s not the Sonny viewers fell in love with.
Look, Sonny got the short end of the story stick the last time around, but Freddie not caring about the hurt Will’s death caused and how ugly and shoddy the story was is very disappointing.
I fully expect Sonny to be wearing Nerium t-shirts when he’s not helping Victor arrange drug shipments. I fully expect Will will be back – likely to invite more hatred by trolls whatever the actor. The only think I feel when watching this interview is sadness the show chose to burn down its lgbt legacy in a fury of hate-pandering and now wants to make everyone forget that. The thing about Freddie is he doesn’t seem to notice or care.
Agree totally with every word, kiki.
If Smith is really so clueless as to the story he’s playing and doesn’t even consider his placement on the stage, that says SO much about the actor and his craftsmanship. Very disappointed. Time to let this character and story die its miserably written death. It just can’t be resurrected (much to the bigoted joy of many).
Oh my, reading way too much into a seating arrangement. Maybe the director intended it to be a way of showing Sonny having too hard a time sitting that close to the casket? Real life people handle things uniquely and a character on a show is no exception. And maybe Freddie was too engulfed in the sadness of the storyline to think much of it himself, he nearly said as much in this interview. Geez.
Thanks, Nate. You just proved my point as well as a lot of other folks’ points about the handling of the story, both in writing and direction.
How many times does Freddie insult viewers intelligence? He is glad the show made a blatant pander to anti-gay hatred in Will’s death? Of course that’s going to anger people.
He comes off as clueless and tone deaf. And Fairman’s sucking up doesn’t help.
I”m not stupid. I know they will bring Will back, but since Freddie clearly doesn’t care for the character of Will, there’ll be little chance of Wilson ever being what it once was.
Will was clearly the only true father to Arianna, and that’s a shame because it’s in insult to gay fathers, adoptive fathers and stepparents all rolled into one.
I don’t want to see a Sonny who couldn’t forgive Will for cheating – cheating the writers wrote so the character would be hated to set up for their anti-gay pander – but he’s willing to go work for his mobster uncle. Because if Sonny was able to manage Victor’s clubs and not realize that Victor is in the drug business, he’s an idiot. Sonny’s not an idiot. He’s now just a criminal and a deadbeat father.
Since Days is now a show where murderers are the heroes, I actually hope Will doesn’t come back. I just think he will and we’ll all have to suffer through Freddie looking miserable in Wilson reunion scenes.
You make some very valid points.
It’s not the first time Freddie has sounded totally clueless and tone deaf. It’s happened more than once. He just told Soap Opera Digest that he had a “great exit”.
Please consider what happened in this “great exit”. First a good bit of dialog (the problem is with what follows it). After coming home after being told of Will’s death, Sonny tells him mom this:
‘You know I was planning on coming back here before this happened. Will left me this message, and I listened to it over and over again, and I started thinking “what the hell am I doing?”. I realized I still loved him and I NEED TO BE HERE WITH HIM AND ARIANNA. And now I got to tell MY TWO YEAR OLD DAUGHTER she’s never going to see her Dad again.‘
A week later, Sonny had abandoned the little girl he, in his own words, called his daughter – and anyone who’s watched the show over the past few years know also that Arianna herself will consider Sonny her Daddy. Abandoned her after her biological father that Sonny claimed to love had been murdered – and why? Because *Sonny* couldn’t cope with *his* feelings! Also Sonny showed no interest in how his husband Will died, and doesn’t even hang around for Chad (his friend and railroaded suspect) to wake up. Awful, awful writing that Higley and Griffith and Corday are responsible for ….
… and which Freddie has now called a “GREAT EXIT”. That “great exit” was of course also *entirely* built on the murdering-off of legacy character Will, which the show has invested almost twenty-years in creating, with an associated investment from the audience. And Freddie says he’s glad the show “goes there”!!!
“Great exit” – hell no! It was awful, and insulting, and utterly character-destroying, and insulting to the audience too. It ripped the heart out of the character of Sonny – or more like ripped the character apart like a dog would rip apart a rag doll. If that were my character, that I played, I’d *not* be happy, and I’d not be telling the press that it was “great”.
If I were running Days I’d keep Freddie as far far away from interviews as I could! Days has quite the knack for shooting itself in the foot.
Also I’d ban actors from MLM selling – what on earth is the show thinking allowing so many of its actors to get to do that – and Freddie targets fans as marks as well!
Someone needs to educate you about deaths on soaps, Art.
The term “Bury Your Gays” doesn’t apply to DAYS! DAYS and soaps in general have buried many characters who turn up alive. Did DAYS bury Sonny? Did DAYS bury Paul? No on both counts plus a no for Will being buried if he didn’t really die!
DAYS couldn’t tell the story they’re now telling if Will hadn’t been “buried” and it had nothing to do with being gay. The actor was weak. His costar chose to leave with the door left open to him. Knowing Sonny could come back to a clean slate is better than viewers questioning where Will is if Will and Sonny had left together.
I think DAYS knew they could get Freddie Smith back, but wasn’t sure they could get Chandler Massey back, so the new storyline may start out with Sonny and Paul, but if Chandler were to agree to a return, Will will return.
Some would say why not recast Sonny when Freddie chose to leave. The answer is the same for why they didn’t recast Will. They believed recasting Will was a mistake and another recast Will would’ve been worse and if a recast Sonny had happened the situation would’ve been more problematic.
It would not be fair for Will and Sonny to ride off in the sunset knowing that Freddie was open to returning and then be stuck with a flimsy off camera excuse to Will’s absence.
It’s not “Bury Your Gays.” It’s bury a soap character in order to have more options for future storylines. Viewers are now seeing an option which may change to other options if and when the buried rises from the dead, a complication that couldn’t be in the making had there been no “death.”
Shame on DAYS for writing a soap storyline (sarcasm)!
4ever DAYS you obviously are ignorant on what the term Bury Your Gays means because it does apply to Will Horton and no amount shilling for the show or attacks on Guy Wilson because you don’t like him is going change fact of what they did which was wrong on every level. Will Horton has many more fans on his own than either Sonny or Paul combined. The show lost many viewers because of them killing off Will Horton and because of them having the worst writers in soaps who caused other viewers to also leave the show because of their destructive agenda which has ruined many now former viewers favorites. I will say that at least Guy cared deeply about fans of Will and WilSon even through the bad writing he was receiving from the show while Freddie has effectively turned his back on WilSon fans even though they had been supporting him for years and helping him financially fund his side projects.
You are ignorant, Art, for expecting characters to be treated differently because of their sexual orientation. It’s also ignorant to expect Freddie Smith to lay down and die because “Wilson” doesn’t presently exist. I suspect you’ll need therapy when Sonny and Paul get together. Good luck!
You are terrible for trying to use the character of Will against Freddie, the actor! Give me 25 push-ups and 50 sit-ups and SHUT UP!
I see 4ever DAYS is continued to be allowed to make personal attacks on other posters (whilst misrepresenting what they’ve actually said in their posts, and barking orders at them!). Same old, same old, it’s been going on 4ever!
Hah! Hah! It’s funny though.
4ever and Maxie1215 are both entitled to their view on this interview – and 4ever trying to shout other people down speaks for itself.
I can’t begrudge Freddie for appreciating opportunity to develop his character outside of Will’s story, because that’s not really happened before. *BUT* Freddie said he was glad they “go there”, regarding the killing of Will, and he even acknowledged that’s going to be unpopular, so, really no one can sensibly complain if he gets backlash from people who are upset about the killing off of Will – a long-beloved character who has grown up on the show, who was murdered-off in an insulting series of events, who’s only logic seemed to be to woo homophobic viewers and slap Will fans and LGBT people and their allies in the face!
I feel Freddie did say insensitive stuff in this interview. The phrase “little tragedies” was unfortunate to say the least. I realize he was trying to make a positive point about people coming together in the aftermath of tragedy, but it was still a *very* ill-considered choice-of-words, which really jolted me. The tragedies that have been happening recently (and they were talking about the Orlando massacre!) have not been little in any sense. Perhaps if he stopped treating people as marks to sell a certain infamous toxin-containing skin lotion to, he’d come across better (and I’ve seen a video of him teaching his sales people how to sell, so I feel entitled to say that – it was shocking to say the least!).
Also, to me, he came across as positively gleeful that Will was out of the picture. I’ll say this – if it does turn out that Days *has* resurrected Will, then that might put a different spin on some of Freddie’s remarks.
We’ll see!
A “blatant pander to anti-gay hatred…”? Really? I realize everyone has their own perception of things, but damn, that is out there, even for me. Holy crap.
Freddie almost seemed delighted that Will was killed and that “great exit” he got caused someone who had called him a friend to lose their job. I think someone needs to educate Freddie on why it was wrong to kill off Will and teach him about Bury Your Gays.
so excited that freddie is back on dool…………………
The writing on Days is so bad it’s funny. Case in point: turning Sonny into a deadbeat dad and criminal. I get that Freddie hates the character of Will but his smug cluelessness in this interview does him no favors.
Sonny’s return is not sufficient. Days writers have done so much wrong and are working overtime to literally destroy the character of Steve our Patch man. As such there will not be a single reason left to bother with this unrecognizable program!
They did succeed in making me so dislike Kayla I wish only that this time Steve left her once and for all and found someone new.
Her hypocritical self righteousness is alarming. MBE is not in any form of awarding winning storyline now!
Well, I can’ t speak for others, but as a Gay male viewer, I’ve been loyal through the last Five months of Days of Our Lives which have been dreadful. Horrendous writing, bland performances and lackluster characters.
I miss the character of Sonny and glad he is back and I hope something happens with Paul, who literally has NOTHING to do on this show except buy hamburgers and look on the computer for clues for Theresa’s baby’s kidnapping. I suspect that if “Will returns” it may only be as the spirit of Will, telling Sonny it’s all right for him to “get on” with his own life. Of course, I don’t know, maybe they will explain that Will didn’t actually get strangled…..or climbed out of a body bag…..or was sent to a far off Island to recover – it’s a Soap, so who knows. But LATELY the show has just been awful and it seemed to me that when it centered more around Sonny, Will, Paul, the necktie killer, and Paige and JJ (they had chemistry, there’s little between JJ and Gabbi) – we can’t all like every single storyline, and I get that – but I hope that Sonny being back on the canvas helps the show overall.
Sonny’s return won’t help the show.The show has ruined many characters or killed them off and the writing is just awful.
Great interview, Michael!
The show made a mistake by ending the gay storyline last year, I’m really happy that it’s coming back with Freddie’s return. Sonny is one of the best characters Days of our Lives has ever had. I’m excited to see what’s next for him, I hope he gets back together with Paul who is a great guy and I believe genuinely loves Sonny. I would be fine with Will not returning but since it’s a soap he probably will, once Sonny is completely in love with Paul.
I can’t see how anyone would be happy to see any favorite character return to be mauled by Dena’s poison pen. Josh was no better. Days is now a show where the “heroes” can commit any crime without consequence or care and hurt whomever they want. They are only heroes because the writers like them. How many of the show’s legendary heroes – starting with Hope – are now murderers or accessories to murder? They think this is “dark and edgy” but it’s just nasty and mean.
Sonny went bankrupt because he didn’t want to take a handout from his family, and he wanted nothing to do with the criminal elements of Victor’s business. So, now he’s fine with all that? Are we supposed to believe that Victor isn’t dealing drugs out of his clubs or that Sonny didn’t realize it? Sonny was, at his core, a good person. That’s why fans love him. Loved. I don’t need to see him involved in Victor’s crimes.
If Sonny was wrecked by grief and made bad choices, that would be plausible, but it’s clear that both Freddie and sadly Sonny, is glad Will is dead and doesn’t see himself as Arianna’s father anymore. That’s very sad and it’s bad writing.
I think a Will return is probably in the cards, but I really, really don’t want him back to be harmed by Dena’s poison. I also don’t want to see Paul excuse Sonny being a criminal.
I hope Sonny and Paul are a success who succeed in a sex session on Will’s grave!
Too bad that’s not going to happen
I’m so happy that Freddie came back & is finally having the story that he deserved! He’s an amazing actor & Sonny is a beloved character & many Days fans are so excited for his return. Can’t wait to see what’s in the store for him & for PaulSon 🙂
It’s clear he’s happy with being in the spotlight but lets see how long that lasts. This whole interview contradicts his character. Getting involved with Titan for example. And why not say anything positive about Will, the character that got him his popularity instead of being thankful it wasn’t him being killed off. I truly believe Will is coming back alive and not as a ghost. Freddie’s coming off really bad in this interview. I don’t think his return is going to help ratings that much. In fact there’s a lot of people not caring about the return at all because the show’s so bad. I haven’t watched in months but it seems like I’m not missing much. Paulson is a no for me. I like both characters but together, not so much. Paint would be more interesting to watch. This whole interview is horrible. He’s basically isolating the fans that helped his character get where he is now
I am so happy to see Freddie back. I love the character of Sonny, and I know Freddie will do great. Looking forward to the show more than ever now. I hope Freddie will be with us a long time.
Me, too, Nate. So handsome, charming, decent, sexy, and hopefully they’ll let his hair grow a bit. Can’t stand these buzz cuts. Looking forward to seeing what romance is coming for Sonny.
He is Ari’s father and the writers should let him adopt her. This would make Ari a Kiriakis which would not set to well with members of the Brady, Hernandez and Horton families who hate the idea for different reasons. He should move in with Gabi, and thus begin the storyline I’d like to see Gabi attempting to wreck his relationship with Paul. Sonny and Gabi have a connection but Sonny sees Gabi as a little sister and Gabi sees Sonny as the guy she should have married.
Obviously it was only a matter of time until Sonny came back from Paris.
After all, “once they’ve seen Salem, how ya gonna keep ’em down on the farm?”
Besides, Salem’s coffee is far too addicting.
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!
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