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
Kelly Sullivan Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’s’ Maura West Recalling When Ava Shot Connie (Exclusive)
It was just over 13 years ago on General Hospital when Ava Jerome (Maura West) shot and killed Kate Howard/Connie Falconeri (Kelly Sullivan) in an effort to keep her quiet from revealing that Derek Wells was actually Ava’s back-from-the-dead brother, Julian Jerome (William deVry). It’s a crime that somehow Ava never has quite paid for either.
The episode back aired on August 13, 2013 and viewers had to say goodbye to Kelly Sullivan who played Kate and her alter, Connie. In the story, just before she died, Kate/Connie scrawled the letters AJ in her own blood, initially making the PCPD and Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) think that it was AJ Quatermaine (Sean Kanan) who did the deed.
Now, Sullivan recalled sharing scenes with the three-time Daytime Emmy-winning West, during a live conversation on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel. Kelly was the special guest talking about her recent return to the soaps in her new role as The Bold and the Beautiful’s Darcy Dylan.
Photo: JPI
FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF MAURA WEST
Speaking of her final GH scenes and working with Maura West, Sullivan gave her then GH co-star major props. “If you’re going to be shot by somebody (on the soaps), you want to be shot by Maura West, c’mon!”
Maura West debuted back in May 2013 as Ava, and Sullivan remembered when the As the World Turns favorite began on GH. “I remember when Maura West first arrived at GH. She walked in with this cute little bob (hairdo) and she’s just delicious,” shared Sullivan.
A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE
Kelly revealed more about Maura, adding “I think she’s amazing! I remember right before I left the show, someone suggested, and I would still love to do this with her, if she ever want to, but someone suggested that they wanted to direct the stage play A Streetcar Named Desire with Maura and I, where I would play Stella and she would play Blanche! Wouldn’t that be great?”
Speaking of the Ava/Connie showdown scenes, Sullivan expressed, “On television and on General Hospital specifically, Maura West is able to play a character who does the most horrendous things and you still care about her and that’s the mark of a really great actor. In other words, you’re able to be liked in the midst of the most horrendous things, and as a performer not shying away from that, and to just have the courage to do what’s on the page (in the script).”
Photo: JPI
KELLY SULLIVAN PARTING THOUGHTS AS SHE LEFT GENERAL HOSPITAL
Kelly also shared her sentiments when she walked off the set of General Hospital after her run back in August of 2013. “I really was honored. Every day I would go to work and I would say a little prayer, which is I want to do justice for my character, explained Kelly. “It’s between me and my character. I get to walk this path with her and to leave the show on that note, which is, I left every out there. I just gave it my all and again what an honor it was to play Kate/Connie.”
You can catch the full conversation with Kelly where she talks about her time on General Hospital, The Young and the Restless where she played Sage Warner and now The Bold and the Beautiful below.
So, do you remember the Ava and Connie scenes where Ava shot and killed her? What did you think of Kelly Sullivan’s sentiments about Maura West? Share your thoughts via the comment section. But first, watch the reveal where Ava recalls murdering Connie below!
The question of will Steve Burton (Jason Morgan) stay awhile at General Hospital after his recent extended hiatus from the show earlier this year, has reportedly been answered.
TMZ via court documents obtained in Burton’s ongoing legal battle with his ex-wife Sheree Gustin, shared that Steve actually inked a new three year deal with the ABC soap opera back in June.
That is significant because it was June when Burton returned back to work as Jason. In addition, the court filing confirmed that Burton had already moved back to California from Tennessee.
Photo: ABC
STEVE’S HIATUS AND HIS RETURN TO PORT CHARLES
GH fans will recall, it was back in February of 2026, that Burton announced via his Instagram that he was stepping away from his role of Jason Morgan for short break and pointed to wanting to spend quality time with his new wife, Michelle Lundstrom Burton with whom he tied the knot back on May 17, 2025.
Steve expressed at that time, “I’m newly married and looking forward to spending some quality time with my family.” It was back on March 25 that viewers saw Jason carted away by the WSB after taking the fall for Rocco Falconeri (Finn Carr) who shot then WSB Director Ross Cullum (Andrew Hawkes).
Burton returned to work on June 1, and due to General Hospital taping roughly six weeks ahead of air, made his on-screen comeback on the July 13 episode.
GOING FOR GOLD AT THE UPCOMING DAYTIME EMMYS
Then, Steve and his enduring fans got an extra special treat on the same day, when it was revealed on Extra that he was nominated for the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Daytime Drama Series category.
Steve previously won in the Supporting Actor category for his work as General Hospital’s Jason in 1998 and as The Young and the Restless’ Dylan McAvoy in 2018.
Now with Jason and Britt’s (Kelly Thiebaud) relationship seemingly hitting the skids, plus Jason’s commitment to staying out of mob life to focus on being present for his son Danny Morgan (Asher Antonyzyn), what does the future hold for the fan favorite character? Stay tuned.
So, happy to hear that Steve Burton signed a new three year deal with General Hospital? Knowing that, what storyline would you like to see Jason get involved and with who? Share your thoughts and theories via the comment section.
The Young and the Restless enduring favorite and two-time Daytime Emmy-winning actress, Jess Walton (Jill Foster Abbott) is set to release her memoir!
Kensington Publishing has revealed on their website that Walton’s book The Young and the Rest of Us is now available for pre-order while listing an April 27, 2027 release date. In addition, in June of 2027, Walton will mark her 40th anniversary with The Young and the Restless and her debut as Jill.
The official log lines for the memoir share, “Emmy Award-winning actress Jess Walton, known to millions as the iconic Jill Abbott on the #1 soap opera The Young and the Restless, shares her extraordinary journey to stardom, sobriety, true love, and self-discovery in this startingly candid, intimate, and star-studded memoir.”
Photo; Kensington Books
CAKE FIGHTS AND CORPORATE INTRIGUE
The book description for The Young and the Rest of Us adds, “In June 1987, Jess Walton walked through the artists’ entrance at CBS for her first day on The Young and the Restless,where she had just been hired to play the recast role of Jill Abbott. Two Emmy awards, four decades, and countless onscreen affairs, marriages, corporate takeovers, and cake fights later, she’s a beloved icon with an astonishing tale to tell.”
“In her refreshingly candid style, Jess shares her journey as a young actress from Toronto theaters to Los Angeles, where she found herself at the center of a Laurel Canyon circle that included the likes of Neil Young, David Geffen, Laura Nyro, and Joni Mitchell. Landing a Universal contract and a steady stream of guest starring roles, Jess embraced everything 1970s L.A. had to offer—including Hollywood parties fueled by limitless booze and drugs, and trysts with stars. She recounts with candor and gratitude the surprising path that eventually led her to sobriety, true love—and ultimately, to fictional Genoa City, Wisconsin, and the role of a lifetime.”
“Brimming with behind-the-scenes drama and celebrity cameos to delight fans, The Young and the Rest of Us is also rich in personal, relatable truths about marriage, motherhood, empty-nesting, self-discovery, and finding the courage to start over—as often as it takes. In a voice as fearless and frank as Jill’s, but with, humor and grace all her own, Jess Walton looks back on a life as unpredictable, and adventure filled as anything she has portrayed on screen.”
WHO ELSE PLAYED JILL FOSER ABBOTT?
Fans of The Young and the Restless know that Walton became the fourth actress to take on the role of Katherine Chancellor’s original nemesis Jill Foster back in 1987. The OG Jill was played by Brenda Dickson, also Deborah Adair, Bond Gideon and Melinda O. Fee played the part.
This year, Days of our Lives star Lauren Koslow (Kate Roberts) filled-in for several episodes for Walton who was unavailable to travel from her home in Oregon to Los Angeles where Y&R was taped. Walton is still with the long-running soap opera as Jill.
So, excited to learn of Jess Walton’s upcoming memoir, ‘The Young and the Rest of Us?’ Will it be it a must-read for you? Drop a comment below.
Kelly Sullivan Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’s’ Maura West Recalling When Ava Shot Connie (Exclusive)
Steve Burton Reportedly Signs Three-Year Contract with ‘General Hospital’
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Steffy Tells Carter She’s Pregnant, But He Has a Way ‘Out of This Situation For All of Us’
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Jason and Britt Reach an Impasse; Is This the End of Their Relationship?
Jess Walton Memoir ‘The Young and the Rest of Us’ Set for Release in 2027
‘General Hospital’ to Rebroadcast Special Episode in Tribute to Anthony Geary
‘General Hospital’s’ Tabyana Ali Song ‘Pray’ Now Available on Major Streaming Platforms with Music Video Forthcoming
‘General Hospital’ Icon Genie Francis to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award at the 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards
Vivica A. Fox Exits ‘The Young and the Restless’ For Now to Film Netflix’s ‘Women Like Us’
Jess Walton Memoir ‘The Young and the Rest of Us’ Set for Release in 2027
Kelly Sullivan Gives High Praise to ‘General Hospital’s’ Maura West Recalling When Ava Shot Connie (Exclusive)
THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL: Steffy Tells Carter She’s Pregnant, But He Has a Way ‘Out of This Situation For All of Us’
‘Beyond the Gates’ vs. ‘The Young and the Restless’ in a Soap Opera Showdown on ‘Flip Side’ Season 3 Premiere
‘The Bold and the Beautiful’s’ Heather Tom Talks Daytime Emmy-Nominated Scenes and What’s Behind Katie’s Deep-Seated Issues with Dylan (Exclusive)
GENERAL HOSPITAL: Did Brook Lynn Deserve Chase Walking Out on Her?
-
General Hospital1 week ago‘General Hospital’ to Rebroadcast Special Episode in Tribute to Anthony Geary
-
General Hospital1 week ago‘General Hospital’s’ Tabyana Ali Song ‘Pray’ Now Available on Major Streaming Platforms with Music Video Forthcoming
-
General Hospital1 week ago‘General Hospital’ Icon Genie Francis to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award at the 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards
-
News7 days agoVivica A. Fox Exits ‘The Young and the Restless’ For Now to Film Netflix’s ‘Women Like Us’
-
News1 day agoJess Walton Memoir ‘The Young and the Rest of Us’ Set for Release in 2027
-
General Hospital6 days ago‘General Hospital’s’ Braedyn Bruner Reveals Her Daytime Emmy-Nominated Scenes and How Emma is Getting Her ‘Edge’ Back
-
General Hospital4 days ago‘General Hospital’s’ Bluesy Burke Marks 1 Year as Charlotte Cassadine: ‘It’s The Best Gift I’ve Ever Received’
-
News4 days ago‘The Bold and the Beautiful’ Drops First Look 40th Anniversary Opening Title Sequence
