Days Of Our Lives
DAYS Lauren Koslow Interview: Will's Coming Out from Grandma Kate's Perspective!
Courtesy/NBC
It’s Will Horton’s “official” coming out week on Days of our Lives! And to mark the occasion, Outfest sponsored a terrific event late last week in Los Angeles called Days of our Lives: A Coming Out Celebration featuring red carpet arrivals, a screening for those in attendance of Will’s story thus far, and a panel discussion featuring members of the cast involved in the storyline including: Chandler Massey (Will), Alison Sweeney (Sami), Wally Kurth (Justin) Bryan Dattilo (Lucas), Lauren Koslow (Kate), Deidre Hall (Marlena) and DAYS co-executive producer Greg Meng.
Throughout the week, On-Air On-Soaps will be bringing you our one-on-one interviews from the night, and some sneak peeks and highlights, and emotional moments from the panel discussion, as we celebrate the importance of another core character coming out on a daytime soap.
We kick it off with the other grandma in Will’s life, Grandma Kate, played deliciously and to perfection by soap favorite Lauren Koslow! On the red carpet, Lauren filled us in on the tremendous pride and joy she feels to be involved in this storyline, and gave us a preview of some things to come between Kate and Sami!
We love that Kate’s reaction is that she knew all along that her grandson Will was gay. How did you feel about Kate’s intuitiveness and the fact that, thank God, they did not make you play a homophobe!
LAUREN: It was exactly what it should be! I was so excited. I was a little afraid they might make Kate the homophobic character, and I would yell, “Don’t make it me. Don’t make it me,” because it would never be me. Of anyone in the town of Salem who would understand what is going on with Will, it would be Kate. It’s beautiful. I love that they wrote that Kate always knew! It was like, “Honey, it’s OK. Let’s go shopping.” (Laughs) That is what it is, because years ago when all these stories were being thrown around, I thought it would be perfect that Kate would be fine with it. It’s sort of like Auntie Mame. It’s OK! And for Kate her motto to Will is: “It’s OK if people don’t like you. A lot of people don’t like me. A lot of people may not love you, and a lot of people certainly don’t love me,” but I think that is what Kate brings into this. She is an outsider and she does not conform, and it’s OK. And, just as long as you are OK with yourself, that’s what is important.
Courtesy/NBC
Let’s talk about Sami and Kate! Now these two rivals may have to band together to help Will. We can only assume, since Kate is fine with it, and we know Sami won’t know how to deal with it, that Kate might help Sami sort out her feelings on Will’s news?
LAUREN: Well, that is what is happening. I think it’s brilliant that it is happening that way, and I just love it. With the dynamic between Kate and Sami, it’s like they are smashing up against each other all the time over everything! However when it comes to Will, it goes back into the family mode, and that is her ex-daughter-in-law and as such, Kate has a grandson. Actually, I can tell you that you can look forward to Kate advising Sami on this, and it’s really great.
How great that of all people, Kate is trying to be the common ground between Sami and Will, despite their long-standing feud with each other!
LAUREN: Absolutely. We did some scenes recently together and we just loved them. It was so much about family, and this horribly dysfunctional family, and we are coming together because of Will.
You must be excited that finally Will be coming out on the April 4th episode and that you have had some key scenes, in this first for Days of our Lives after 46 years on the air?
LAUREN: I have been waiting and waiting for this part of the story to play out. I cannot tell you how much I wanted to be part of the story and it finally happened. I hope there will be more. I think it’s wonderful how they are doing it, and how the writers are threading the story throughout Salem, and every reaction is a little different. Will and Kate were together a lot. It makes sense now, that there would be more interaction.
How is working with the man of the hour, Chandler Massey (Will)?
LAUREN: Chandler is just really delightful. We had our scenes together and I am like, “YES” and for him it’s like he realizes that, “Oh, now she is getting her chance!” (Laughs) I love working with him.
Courtesy/NBC
It is great that Outfest and the LGBT community along with Days of our Lives had this coming out celebration for a character on a daytime soap and to raise awareness of an very important issue for anyone, young or old, who tries to come to terms and accept who they are. How do you feel DAYS handled the writing of Will’s story?
LAUREN: I think it’s really wonderful that the more attention that is paid to this, the better it is. I am excited that we are doing this story, and I am excited that we are doing it this way. It’s a very human way, and not an overly dramatic story. I mean, that it is a simple story about a young man coming of age and finding out who they are, and loving themselves, and being OK, and moving forward, and everyone embracing that. It’s important!
I love this woman!
Thanks, Michael, for another great interview. I love Lauren, and I have to agree with her, Days has done a good job with this story. I like the way it’s unfolding.
Great interview I just LOVE Lauren Koslow and I can’t wait to see this story continue to play out.
Lauren & Kate,
I Love You–Yes! 😀
I like kate,good interview,and great story.
Great interview! I love Lauren and love Kate! I can’t wait to see the scenes with Kate and Will, I love their scenes together and I hope they have a lot more coming up! I love that Kate isn’t always nasty. I like seeing her also being sweet (as well as nasty like she is with Sami!) and also showing her vulnerable side like when she thinks Stefano is after marlena again.
well maybe she could calm down about the nasty side to Sami..it is getting old..Sami could destroy for once !
Thank you, yet again, Mr. Fairman for another well done interview!!!!
I really hope DOOL does this story line justice. It’s really needed, IMO, on daytime story telling!!!!!
Looking forward to the other interviews as soon as you can please!!!!
I LOVE this storyline. Will’s struggle is very authentic and well written. I really hope that the storyline continues with more of the dynamics and complexities of the coming out process. It would be very dramatically viable if, just as Will starts to accept himself, he experiences backlash from some homophobic characters in Salem. So far, the storyline has been SURPRISINGLY realistic. I hope the writers don’t drop the ball after a “coming out” announcement. I hope they realize that there is so much potential and inherent dramatic conflict that could be explored by continuing with this story.
Why Sami is the one who won’t know how to deal with it ? Why Sami is the scapegoat once again !! So not in character for her to no accept it..wrong decision Days, WRONG !
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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