There was not a dry eye in the house when in June of 2025, Paul Narita (Christopher Sean) gets up to eulogize his father, John Black (Drake Hogestyn), after the iconic character passed away and his funeral brought Salem together for one last goodbye.

In real life, Drake Hogestyn had passed away of pancreatic cancer at the age of 70 back on September 28, 2024. When DAYS taped the funeral episode, Drake was still alive and had given his blessing to the series longtime executive producer, Ken Corday, that it was OK with him to kill off his character and to have a memorial. Sadly, shortly after the cast filmed the scenes, Drake died leaving a lasting legacy on DAYS that will never be matched.

Earlier this week on Tuesday, Christopher Sean received the bittersweet news that he had received a Daytime Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Guest Performer category for the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards for his performances. Christopher appeared shortly after the news of his nomination on the Michael Fairman Channel’s Daytime Emmy Nominations Special 2026 were he shared his emotional reaction. Here’s part of what he expressed below.

Photo: JPI

WHAT DID CHRISTOPHER SEAN SUBMIT?

“I submitted Paul’s lowest moments in his life, and Paul’s highest moments, meaning the eulogy with John Black, his father, and for my hero, Drake Hogestyn, and Paul getting married to Andrew (Colton Little). So it was two very opposite ends of his life. But what a great culmination of 12 years of being on Days of Our Lives it was.”

ALWAYS BEING GRATEFUL TO DRAKE HOGESTYN

“Even talking about it now, I have so much love for Drake. I’ve got him here on my wall and wake up every day and I try to make him proud. It’s hard to talk about it, but I feel that my life is on the path that I am because of him, because of him being my role model, because of him loving and guiding me, because of everything that he is taught me on and off the set.”

Photo: JPI

THE EARLY STRUGGLES WITH PAUL’S EULOGY AND HEARTFELT ADDITIONS TO THE DIALOG

“I had been texting back and forth with Drake and I was actually pretty angry, because I felt that we shouldn’t exploit this, but Drake was so attached to the fan base that when Ken Corday spoke with him and gave him the permission to allow the fans to grieve with us, that’s when I said, ‘OK, if that’s what he wants, then I’m going to go full throttle with it.’ In Paul’s eulogy and monologue I’d read it and without asking the writers, I added a few lines and they allowed me to keep them.”

Christopher continued, “One of the lines was, ‘anytime I see a rainbow in the sky’ and I said, ‘and a baseball up high, or a rainbow in the sky,’ because I wanted to attribute it to baseball and to Drake. It was already perfect the way it was written, but that was my nod to Drake. We all loved him and there’s not a person I know who didn’t love him. Drake lit up any room he was a part of. I would not be here, again, without Drake.”

You can catch Christopher’s conversation on the Daytime Emmy Nominations Special at the 2:14:25 mark below.

The 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be handed in a ceremony on October 30 from the Hollywood Palladium in Hollywood California. Current plans are for the event to stream live on the National Academy Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), watch.theemmys.tv and associated apps.

So, will you be rooting for Christopher to take home the gold for his heartbreaking performance of Paul’s grief over losing John and then marrying Andrew? Were you touched by how much Drake Hogestyn had meant to his life and career? Let us know via the comment section below.

Now that this year’s 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Nominations have been announced, several of the acting nominees will share their reactions and more to learning they are going for gold when the ceremony rolls around on October 30.

However, tonight on Tuesday July 14 beginning at 8pm ET/5pm PT, Michael Fairman once again host his 12th annual Daytime Emmy Nominations special live on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel.

Scheduled to appear thus far are: Beyond the Gates stars, Lead Actress nominee: Karla Mosley (Dani), Supporting Actress nominee: Trisha Mann-Grant (Leslie), and Supporting Actor nominees: Mike Manning (Smitty) and Timon Kyle Durrett (Bill).

From The Young and the Restless: Lead Actress nominee Michelle Stafford (Phyllis), Lead Actor nominee Christian LeBlanc (Michael), Supporting Actress nominee Camryn Grimes (Mariah) and Supporting Actor nominee Sean Dominic (Nate).

In addition look for General Hospital’s Supporting Actress nominee Amanda Setton (Brook Lynn), from Days of Our Lives, Outstanding Guest Performer nominee, Christopher Sean (Paul) and from The Bold and the Beautiful Lead Actor nominee Scott Clifton (Liam) and Supporting Actor nominee Lawrence Saint-Victor (Carter) plus more featured guests.

So, what did you think of this year’s Emmy nominations for Beyond the Gates, General Hospital, Days of Our Lives, The Bold and the Beautiful and The Young and the Restless?

Be with us in the live chat with your questions and comments on this year’s nominations and for our special guests.

For upcoming celebrity features, livestreams, special event coverage and more, make sure to “subscribe” to the Michael Fairman Channel.

So, looking forward to tonight’s special show with the nominees? Let us know via the comment section below and if you can’t be with us live, if you have any questions you want posed to our special guests and we just might ask during the broadcast.

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 15, respectively.

General Hospital was next with 13 overall nominations, followed by Days of our Lives with 8 and The Bold and the Beautiful with 7 nods. 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 are set to take place on Friday, October 30 at the historic Hollywood Palladium in Hollywood, California. The ceremony is currently planned to stream via watch.theemmys.tv and its associated apps. For the second year in a row, both the main Emmys and the Creative Arts will be presented together in one night.

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. 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

Photo: ABC

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

Photo: ABC

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

Photo: CBS

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

Photo: ABC

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

Photo: WBTV

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”

Photo: CBS

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

Outstanding Costume Design / Styling for a Daytime Program

The Jennifer Hudson Show, Episode 4140
The Kelly Clarkson Show
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
The Young and the Restless Episode 13149
The Young and the Restless Episode 13273

Outstanding Sound Mixing and Sound Editing for a Live Daytime Program

The Bold and the Beautiful, Episode 9658
The Jennifer Hudson Show Episode 4039
The Kelly Clarkson Show Episode 5007
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
The Young and the Restless,” Episode 13260

Outstanding Lighting Direction for a Daytime Program

Beyond the Gates Episode 104
General Hospital Episode 15624
The Jennifer Hudson Show Episode 4010
The Kelly Clarkson Show Episode 6169
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade”

Outstanding Art Direction/Set Decoration/Scenic Design for a Daytime Program

The Kelly Clarkson Show Episode 5033
Live with Kelly and Mark Episode 250414
The View Episode 6280
The Young and the Restless Episode 13145
The Young and the Restless Episode 13244

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.