News
Patrika Darbo’s Daytime Emmy Revoked by NATAS After Submission Guideline Violation Investigation
After an internal investigation, the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) had to make the heartbreaking decision to revoke soap opera favorite Patrika Darbo’s (Ex-Nancy Days, and Shirley B&B) Daytime Emmy; that she received at the 45th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards this April.
Darbo won the gold for her role as Mickey Walker on The Bay. She won in the category of Outstanding Guest Performer in a Digital Daytime Drama Series.
According to Variety, it was determined that Darbo’s submission reel for competition contained two violations of the official rules. One, that she had previously appeared on the show, and two, that her reel contained material from more than one episode.
However, NATAS Sr. VP Daytime Emmy Awards, David Michaels, clarified to Michael Fairman TV, “Patrika’s violation was based solely on the previous appearance – not on number of episodes.”
But the story has a few twists and turns to it. A NATAS rep commented that they immediately commissioned a thorough internal investigation, and determined that Patrika Darbo and Thomas Calabro, both of Amazon’s The Bay, should have been deemed ineligible, as they had each appeared in a prior season of the program.
Darbo spoke to The Bay’s Gregori J. Martin, who told her the situation was being looked in to and then received word from David Michaels, who told her the investigation was completed and the ruling was not in her favor.
“Early on, I owned this mistake,” David Michaels expressed. “I had spent most of the day vetting supporting categories, then I switched over to (guest). My big mistake was not noticing some of the entries weren’t following the one-episode rule.”
Then, in another shocking twist, after Darbo was notified that they would be taking back her Emmy, the plan was to give the award to the performer in the category with the next highest number of votes. That turned out to be All My Children’s Jennifer Bassey, who appeared as Everly Newman in Anacostia. Bassey was informed she would be receiving the Emmy, but then, in yet another twist, found out that her win was also being retracted after it was determined that her submission reel also included scenes from more than one episode. When she found out that she wasn’t getting the Emmy, according to Anacostia creator, Anthony Anderson, “She broke down, it was unbearable to listen to.”
David Michaels, who was dealing with the submissions and executive producing the ceremony that live-streamed on April 29th, clearly had a lot on his plate. Paul Pillitteri, Sr. VP of Public Relations and Communications NATAS, said, “Human mistake is human mistake, upon further review, it seemed that the entire category was questionable. Everybody was a little off. The awards committee decided instead there would be no Emmy in the Guest Performer category this year.”
NATAS started looking into their submission investigation after communication was received from Ladies of the Lake EP, Michael Caruso. This occured two days prior to the Creative Arts Daytime Emmy ceremony, where the majority of the digital category winners are announced.
Michaels recalls asking Caruso if this was something that could wait till after the awards ceremony. “If I had been told, ‘No, this can’t wait till next week,’ this all would have gone differently, I didn’t actually have all the facts until after the show.”
Because of the determination of the awards committee, moving forward, there are proposed changes in the competition.
However for Darbo, who is a previous Primetime Emmy winner, and who sits on the board of governors for the TV Academy, she has this to say: “If you’re taking away mine, you have to take (other perceived violators’) because you have a cloud over you. It’s a sad thing that I’m going to lose my Emmy because of a paperwork error, but if we let little things like that go through we are negating the Emmy brand and that cannot happen.” Darbo ends with that she would ask to, “please see how we’re submitting and what’s going on. Because this has really broken my heart.”
In an official statement released today by NATAS, they offered up: “While the Daytime judges found each performance worthy of distinction, and the investigation determined that neither performer was involved in the selection of categories in which their performances were submitted, prior-season appearances are nonetheless a disqualifying violation of the guidelines for the category. Ms. Darbo’s Daytime Emmy Award and nomination and Mr. Calabro’s nomination have been withdrawn. Other nominations in the category will remain, but no Emmy Award will be presented in the category this year.”
“NATAS also investigated whether entrants in this or other categories violated guidelines limiting the number of program episodes from which submitted excerpts could be drawn. The questioned materials were often fleeting, representing only a single line of dialogue, and their inclusion was deemed not to have impacted the outcome of the competition. Further, in retrospect, the guidelines were not sufficiently reflective of current digital distribution trends, causing ambiguity regarding the submissions’ qualification. The questioned entries will not be penalized for this ambiguity, and the guidelines will be updated for future competitions.”
So, what do you think about Patrika having to return her Emmy? What do you think about the guidelines and submission policies of the Daytime Emmy Digital Drama category? Share your thoughts on this series of unfortunate events via the comment section below.
Michael Fairman TV will have more on the Emmy revocation in a follow up interview with David Michaels forthcoming.
There have been many great performances from the actors through the decades.
Not all the actors subject themselves to being judged and they do not submit clips.
I say; good for them!
Why any actor would submit their work for judgement by the whomevers, is beyond me.
I admire the actors that have no need for validation by not submitting their work . I , as others, know which are the best.
(but- that’s just the way I see it ))
I think you made a lot good points and I too believe most actors do not need or want an “award” to validate their hard work. However in every industry there are ways to recognize work that is outstanding– not BETTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE– but work that goes beyond the expected standards– and I do believe in those cases “awards” have a place. Unfortunately the Emmy system has corrupted those noble values over the years and the system in place to deemed who warrants the “Outstanding” distinction flawed that at this point I think the whole thing should be scrapped. In the end like you said, the viewers know and appreciate the quality work– we don’t need the Emmy people to tell us who is outstanding.
Its crazy and stupid feel bad for her, now I am thinking this whole EMMY’s for daytime is nothing but rigged from the beginning, it’s not like it used to be, it’s 2018 they committee only picks their favorites to win it all. Y&R has been on top from the beginning, they cannot win top soap, directing, writing, etc.. but Days can really? It’s rigged no wonder it’s not show on regular TV anymore and you have to watch it online- that’s for the birds.
“It’s not like it used to be”? The Emmys were never fair bcuz the CBS shows voted together. The ABC shows voted together. The P&G shows voted together. DAYS never had a chance bcuz they were the lone NBC show. Now, that most of those shows are gone, DAYS is finally breaking thru. Which is sad bcuz it never should’ve been like that to begin with. You’re supposed to vote for the best performance…..not for whoever is on the same show/network as you.
The emmys arent as entertaining and good as it used to be…daytime has really gone downhl!!!
This “startling” revelation would have mattered more if they cared about how important watching the Emmys are to fans. Snatching the show off the air, snatching back Emmys. Well done. Well done.
It seems odd that performers are only eligible as guests in the first season they appear. In the Prime Time Emmy’s these errors are corrected during the voting period. If you get all the way to the awards presentation, win, and receive the Emmy then the performer should not be penalized. Then the Academy has to suck it up because they didn’t catch the error. Clearly, the rules are not clearly stated to the performers if 2 of the nominees, the 2 with the most votes!, both made errors which do not appear to be purposeful… Ugh.. this sucks!
Seems odd. Vernee Watson won as guest performer for GH yet, she has been in a bunch of episodes. How does this differ or how did it not violate the same rules as PD’s win?
This should NOT have happened!
It’s NATAS fault, and they should have just said…”In the future this can’t happen”…and left things as they were!
It’s not the actors fault they fucked up!
And they did it more than once!
General Hospital
‘General Hospital’s’ Dominic Zamprogna Shares He Was ‘Happy to Hear’ of The Triangle Storyline Developing Between Dante/Elizabeth/Ric

General Hospital’s Dominic Zamprogna (Dante Falconeri) opened up about the burgeoning love triangle forming between his Port Charles alter-go, Elizabeth Webber (Rebecca Herbst) and Ric Lansing (Rick Hearst) after recently aired scenes, plus his hopes for the future of a Dante and Liz pairing during his appearance on the Sunday, April 23 edition of the That’s Awesome podcast with Steve Burton (Jason Morgan) and Bradford Anderson (Spinelli).
On last week’s GH Ric has made the decision that he wanted to propose to his ex-wife, only when he showed up at Elizabeth’s front door he misread the scenario he walked in with Liz tending to Dante’s injured leg from the softball game. From there, the legal eagle’s jealous streak is reemerging which may cause him to act out and do something unforgivable, or will he take the high road? Stay tuned,
Speaking with Steve Burton and Bradford Anderson about where Elizabeth stands in the annals of the long-running soap, Zamprogna said, “She’s up there with Steve and Maurice (Maurice Benard) as one of the most legacy-filled people on the show.”

Courtesy/ABC
HOW DANTE AND ELIZABETH CAME ABOUT
Dominic jokes it’s a far cry for where they were previously, “We had some scenes together years ago and we were both laughing. And Becky’s like, ‘Well, I guess we’re not going be paired up anytime soon.’ I remember we laughed immediately after they yelled ‘cut,”‘and said to each other, “Well, so much for that!”
Fast-forward to 2025, and “Elizabeth Korte (co-head writer, GH) came up to me at the General Hospital Christmas party, and I think it was a year and a half ago and she said we’re going to have you in scenes with Elizabeth, My internal monologue is going ‘I’m not with Lulu (Alexa Havins) anymore and Sam’s (Kelly Monaco) gone, so maybe they want to see if this works.’ I didn’t want to get scenes with Becky and try to find the chemistry. I just wanted to play whatever honestly was written and came across for both of us and hope it was what people liked, and I don’t know if it is. or not.”
Knowing how beloved Elizabeth is to the GH faithfuls, Zamprongna added, “She got a big fan base with Ric and a big fan base with with Jason and you know you’re going to piss somebody off. But, didn’t Ric drug Elizabeth and put Carly in a panic room?”

Photo: ABC
DANTE AND ELIZABETH PAIRING COULD STIR UP STORY FOR OTHERS IN PORT CHARLES
In closing, Dominic felt that the wide-reaching tentacles of a Dante and Elizabeth relationship is something he is down 100% to play. “The triangle thing; I was happy to hear it was with Ric and her, because I felt it’s important to have her the top of it as opposed to Dante, Lulu and Elizabeth.:
Zamprogna added, “When you get into relationships on a soap, things seem to fizzle out a little bit and the buildup is what’s the fun part, and the getting to know each other. and the people who are affected by this coming together. When with this case it’s going to affect Ric, Sonny, Lulu? So, much more story here. To me, it’s going to be a fun story to play.”
You can check out Dominic’s visit to That’s Awesome with Steve and Bradford below.
Now weigh-in: Are you rooting for Dante and Liz, or Dante and Ric at this juncture of the story, or neither of them for Elizabeth? Let us know your thoughts and picks via the comment section.
Beyond the Gates
‘Beyond the Gates’ Star Mike Manning Lands Role in Indie Horror Feature ‘Deify’

While Smitty tries to hold the fort down in his marriage to congressman Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon) and their two teenaged children, Samantha (Najah Jackson) and Tyrell (Jaden Lucas Miller) on Beyond the Gates, Emmy-winner Mike Manning has also landed another feature film role.
According to Deadline, Manning has joined the cast of Deify with 6 other new cast members for the indie psychological horror film starring Neal McDonough and Skeet Ulrich, which was previously announced last week.
Joining Manning as the latest cast addition are: Dennis Haysbert, Ashley Greene, Casey Harnett, Kirk Avecdo, Anji White, anf Nicholas Chimera who’s directing the pic also has a part in the film.
WHAT’S THE STORY OF DEIFY?
Taking to his Instagram with the news of his casting, Manning shared, “A movie about a cult? What could possibly go wrong? Come for the enlightenment. Stay because they won’t let you leave. DEIFY is coming…”
The movie is currently shooting in Chicago and in story, “a cult leader is put on trial after causing his devoted followers to be burned alive. The film is inspired in part by events surrounding the 1993 Waco, Texas, standoff between members of the Branch Davidians church and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, one of the largest civilian firefights ever recorded on American soil.”
MIKE MANNING IS A DAYTIME EMMY NOMINEE
In addition, the multi-talented Manning is a producer on the feature. Previously, Mike was nominated last month in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards. He previously won an Emmy for his role on The Bay and for being a producer on the digital drama.
Mike’s previous credits include the role of Charlie Dale on Days of Our Lives and the Manny on This Is Us, plus various primetime and screen credits.
So intrigued to find what role Mike will play in the upcoming horror/cult film, Deify? Enjoying him as Smitty on Beyond the Gates? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.
General Hospital
GH and OLTL Alum Patrick J. Gibbons Reveals the Story Behind Writing Trina’s Song on ‘General Hospital’ (Exclusive)

At the conclusion of today’s August 21 episode of General Hospital, Trina Robinson (Tabyana Ali) sings a lullaby to baby Dez, that went into a montage to close out the episode as her father Curtis Ashford (Donnell Turner) reports to Pentonville and winds up in his jail cell.
However, in a fun fact, the song entitled, “A Lonely Heart To Give” was actually written by none other than former One Life to Live and General Hospital actor, Patrick J. Gibbons.
Daytime fans first met Gibbons as Sam Manning on One Life to Live. At the time, when he started on the soap, he was just 5-years-old. Gibbons played the part from 2010-2013 on ABC and Prospect Park’s editions of the show. Fast-forward to 2018, Gibbons shows up on General Hospital as Wyatt Hoover, the scout who seemed always be injured, but in the thick of the drama. Patrick had appeared on GH multiple times as Wyatt including: 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023.

Photo: ABC
FROM HIS GRANDMOTHER’S DEATH CAME THE INSPIRATION FOR HIS SONG
Now in 2026, General Hospital fans are getting to learn about another side of Gibbons’ talent as a songwriter and guitar player after “A Lonely Heart to Give” debuted today! Michael Fairman TV caught up with Patrick, who is now a senior at Penn State entering his final year as a finance major, to get the back-story of how his song wound up on GH!
Gibbons explained he wrote the song in honor of his grandmother who passed away a few years ago with whom he was, very, very close with. “Randomly, my grandmother had a downfall and passed away during the second semester of my sophomore year. I was in my dorm a lot and I was just playing with my guitar. And at the time, I was really into finger-style playing. I wrote the lyric and music to it (with a little help from my guitar teacher Lou), and my mom showed the rough demo to Frank Valentini (EP, General Hospital). He’s like an uncle to me. Frank loved it so much he said, “Finish that up. I want to hear the whole thing, and I want it on the show.”
MAKING MUSIC FOR GENERAL HOSPITAL
Gibbons and his parents took the next steps! “So now, all we needed was a female voice, because I thought that would fit the song well,” Patrick shared. “At the golf club we go to my parents were at a dinner. They liked the singer that was performing and spoke to her about the song, and she says she would like to bring it to her ‘boss’ who ended up being Eric Bazilian of the Hooters fame!” (Bazilian also wrote the smash hit song “One of Us” for Joan Osborne).
Next, “We went in the studio and recorded it and the song came together and it was beautiful. We loved it. They loved it at General Hospital and now they’re putting it the show and they are coming in with a piano, instead of a guitar. Paul Glass, the GH musical director, has been keeping us updated over the last six months of how it was coming along, and when it would air, and how GH put their own arrangement to it. I can’t wait to see and hear what they did with it.”

Photo: JPI
PATRICK’S ONE LIFE TO LIVE FAMILY
Everyone knows that the One Life to Live extended family share a very tight bond, and Patrick said he does stay in touch with a few of his former One Life to Live co-stars, especially those from the Manning family! “I stayed in touch with Kassie DePaiva (ex-Blair) and sent her little videos here and there. She was like my second mom for five years. We keep in contact with Kristen Alderson (ex-Starr) over X the most, and she can’t believe how big I’ve gotten. Like, none of them can! (laughs). I also loved working with Roger Howarth (ex-Todd) and Trevor St. John (ex-Todd and Victor Jr.), and to me since I was so young, they were just my friends, ‘Roger and Trevor,’ not Todd Manning or Victor Jr.”
It was a trip to California and a visit to Port Charles that ultimately led to Gibbons second soap role of Wyatt Hoover. Patrick explains, “In 2016, Frank Valentini invited us out to Los Angeles to visit the set of General Hospital. I think he heard me say, ‘This is so much fun. I miss being on the set.’ He goes, ‘You should come out. I’ll bring you on the show. We can make you a character.'”
A few years later, Patrick’s dream became a reality! “Then, by the summer of 2018, I was playing Wyatt, the scout, and shared scenes with Wes Ramsey (Peter August), and the best was when I shared a scene with Roger Howarth and Michael Easton (ex-John, OLTL and ex-Silas, Finn et al, GH), it was like chemistry from the old days.”

Photo: PGibbons
IT’S ALL IN THE NUMBERS
As to his future aspirations, it’s a career in the finance game that has piqued Gibbons’ real-life interest. But never say never to a return to acting. Patrick explained, “I’ve always enjoyed numbers. And on top of that, one of the biggest parts of finance is being personable and outgoing.”
He continued, “That’s one of the greatest skills I developed growing up. I really love the markets. I’m super interested. I’m never going to close the door to acting. I’m always open to that because I just love it so much. It’s such a great art.”
Take note! If there are any investment bankers or private equity folks among the GH faithful looking for a young analyst next year, Patrick’s DMs are open. You can find him on X at @PatrickJGibbons.”
So, what did you think of the song sung by Trina on today’s GH that was written by Patrick J. Gibbons? Did you enjoy Patrick’s performances as One Life’s Sam and GH’s Wyatt? Would you like to see him back on GH at some point? Let us know via the comment section.
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