Days Of Our Lives
WATCH: Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series Nominee Reels : McKay, Sweeney, Tognoni, West & Wright Vie For The Gold!
Courtesy/NATAS
Five women have been nominated for the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for this year’s 42nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards to be presented live on Sunday night, April 26th only on Pop starting at 8PMET/5PMPT.
Vying for the gold are Days of our Lives Peggy McKay as Caroline Brady and Alison Sweeney as Sami Brady. In the running from General Hospital are Maura West as Ava Jerome, and Laura Wright as Carly Corinthos Jax. Nominated from The Young and the Restless is Gina Tognoni as Phyllis Summers.
Maura West and Gina Tognoni have previously won two Daytime Emmys for their work on As the World Turns and Guiding Light, respectively. Laura Wright has won once as Carly on GH. Alison Sweeney has never received a Daytime Emmy nomination in her long and storied almost 22-year-run on Days of our Lives, and Peggy McKay has been nominated two times previously, and once for Lead Actress.
After the jump watch the five actresses nominated work and their official submissions that got them to be part of the “Fab Five” on daytime’s biggest night of the year! Then let us know, who do you think should take home the gold? Who are you rooting for?
Peggy McCay – Daytime Emmys
Alison Sweeney – Daytime Emmys
🙂 MAURA WEST 🙂
GAME OVER
I second that, Jeremy..
I love Alison Sweeney, but, she knew all the quirks, the nuances and what and what-nots about DOOL.
Maura West came to GH with nothing except her talent…and boy, did she use that gift. No sooner did she walk on stage, the scene was hers…she own it and every other one following. When Ava appeared, I knew I was not going to be left empty- handed……Say or think what you will….but, THAT, my friends, is the difference between the two. ( in my opinion)
GAME OVER, INDEED!!!
Alison or Maura…why isnt FH-Anna Devane in the lead instead of supporting…she’s been on and off GH since the 80s…now i like Maura but she’s only been on GH for a few years—Finola started back in the 80s with some time away from the show…FH importance seems to be somewhat diminished of late but i still consider her more of a leading lady…jmo!!!
It’s Ali’s time! She more than deserves it! Her work last year (and the last 22 years) were beyond EPIC!!! The fact that this is her first nomination is ridiculous IMO! #TimeForSweeneyToWin
I with you
Hands down’
#1 Maura West ….
and both .. Laura Wright and Peddy McCay.. very close to #1 / tie ..
This award belongs to Allison Sweeney…all the reels were the great work of each of these ladies.
I pulling for Alison Sweeney, her reel is top notch. Maura West has a very good reel as well. Gina is not to be counted out of the race.
tognoni? she sucks!!!!!hahahahaah who nominates this , now sweeney is totally the winner!!!
Very tough choice. Based on the reels alone might have to give it to Gina T. I’ve never watched an episode of YR in my life and I don”t know her from any other work, but was very impressed with her reel. McKay’s reel was also extremely good (I know she doesn’t belong in this category, but setting that aside).
The others: Sweeney was overacting here, in my opinion. West gave a good performance but I don’t think the reel as a whole showed her at her best – ditto for Wright.
Damn surprised myself, but as a GH fan (and Days legacy fan), I’d probably vote Tognoni or McKay. Tognoni’s performance was slightly more impressive but would be very nice to see trouper McKay win.
hey Nick D. I too, do not watch Y&R – at all, and yet, I too, was so impressed with Gina Tognoni’s reel. Wow. So good! However, I remain committed to Maura West.
Can never go wrong with MW
Can never go wrong with Maura West, FOR SURE!!!
I know it’s the much maligned “crypt sex” episode but Maura West’s reel had the most emotional impact for my money. Sweeney’s is a dream sequence which undercuts the impact for me, Tognoni and Wright’s reels are just lots of yelling, and McKay should be in the supporting category,
I would like to see Sweeney take it even though not crazy about her reel. Not really impressed by any of them to be honest I know what KKL/Brooke of B&B submitted in her pre-nom personally this should have been her year. It was subtle and I like that!
Let me just say bravo to all these ladies they turned in great reels. Here’s how I rank them
5:McKay: It’s the shortest reel but it’s also the most heartwarming. McKay is wonderful in this this as she talks about the wedding. She could shock and win but the nomination is a win.
4:Sweeney: The favorite in this category. She had the best year last year as an actress. Her reel is the longest it’s the fake out but hers the problem while she wss good her reel was a little overwrought. Another problem is three actresses Wrigjt/West/Tognoni all outshone her.
3: Maura West: She is simply divine in this. She can read the phone book and she’s already a two time emmy winner. Fabulous sexy scenes in the crypt and it’s a reel that excited u and riveted u.
2:Laura Wright: She’s the dark horse here. She gives the best work of her career in this reel and does a fabulous job acting opposite of Roger Howarth. Her range and subtly is fantsstic. She totally takes charge here. Again she’s the dark horse upset.
1: Gina Tognoni: She’s a revelation in these scenes with Peter Bergman. This is the kind of reel that wins emmy. It really takes u on the journey of Phyllis feels about Jack being with another women. There’s tons of range and emotions. Phyllis is nasty, hard, angry, sad but she makes u feel vulnerability. It’s a complete story in this reel. Tognoni is fierce here. Plus her being the only CBS nominee might give her advantage the others might get their votes split.
Powerhouse!! Maura West all the way 🙂
Powerhouse!!! I’ll say!!!
Hands down winner is Alison Sweeney. I have never really bought into the character of Sami Brady over the years. She was not a captivating actress. But her last year made up for all of her previous years. She suddenly found herself and acted the hell out of every scene. Even though the submitted scene was a dream sequence it was so well acted that when the actual truth came out it was almost a let down. Her acting with James Scott is stellar. They had the true definition of chemistry. It was a dream sequence so of course she had to overact. That is a necessity of a scene like that. But her moods and reactions were right on point. The reel was a tad too long but it did it’s job. If Alison does not win then the trophy should go to Maura West as Ava Jerome. Maura West is the last of a dying breed of daytime actresses. She has such precision and skill in her acting. She is ALWAYS on point with whatever character she takes on. There are not many actresses like her. I thought the scene with her and Sonny in the crypt was stellar. Totally in keeping with the characters personalities. Both actors Maura West and Maurice Bernard portray their disgust with themselves. They are honest enough to admit their weaknesses and still take it down a notch. I mean sex in a crypt? Geebus! Maura was bouncing off the top notch acting of Mr. Bernard and adding her own magic. They are just perfection together. She deserves the recognition for her superb work on General Hospital. As for the other three actresses nominated they were good as well but Laura Wright’s scenes were the wrong ones to submit. And that story line didn’t belong to Laura Wright. It belonged to Roger Howarth for his perfection. Laura Wright just benefitted from how she reacted to his acting catalysts. I love Laura Wright’s work on General Hospital and I love her character of Carly Jax Corinthos. But this isn’t her year. Gina Tognoni was great in her portrayal of Phyllis Newman but her arrival into that character is too new. She hasn’t found her space yet. She is doing a great job and it’s a hard one replacing Michelle Stafford but she is taking it on with relish. I just don’t think the story was strong enough. She deserves the nomination but not the win. And finally Peggy McKay. Really? She deserves neither the nomination nor the award. Plenty of actresses have taken on the storyline of Alzheimers and growing old. Her scene was confusing and messy. It had no substance nor merit. She did nothing to warrant attention for that scene. Especially in a leading actress role. Her character isn’t a lead character any way. In fact it’s so rare to see her on the show that she should be nominated in the guest actress category if at all. In my opinion her nomination was strictly for the subject matter of Alzheimers which they haven’t really explored in any depth. So she does not warrant recognition for it. It’s time to correct an age old wrong. Give Alison Sweeney the award. She earned it for sure. But if you have to go off course then go to Maura West because she is a pure winner.
Peggy McCay has been acting since 1949 and has played more character actors than any other actor. She puts her heart and soul into each and every scene. Actors can only do what the writers give them. She is truly a gifted actress and deserves whatever award they give her. She was very touching in her scene at the wedding and drew many tears. Obviously you’re not familiar with her acting career. Look up her bio……
The Emmy she is nominated for is not for her “previous” work. I did not say she was not an experienced actress, nor did I say she hadn’t done previous stellar work. My decision is based SOLELY on her Emmy reel that she herself submitted. Her role on Days is not a leading role. The reel submitted, while tender, is not even the least bit meaty in any way. So basically Peggy McCay’s previous credits attributed to her in the IMDB has zero bearing on her nomination. She is not deserving of an award because her work was submitted in the wrong category and it was also not Emmy worthy.
I watch all the shows but Allison has killed on DAYS for years. So Allison, Allison, Allison!!!!
Alison Sweeney gets her first emmy nomination after 22 yrs in daytime and most of y’all criticized her reel , say there is overacting. Everbody has a opinion , I like Maura West , but some of comments I have read. Think she is all that and bag of chips. She only a two time emmy winner. I like her reel , but Alison , Laura, & Gina reels are just as good if not better. So all of these ladies are deserving. But Maura West is no Jeanne Cooper, Susan Flannery, Erica Slezak, Heather Tom , Elieen Davidsion & etc
Maura West, not even close!!!
They’re all great reels in my opinion, but I’m gonna be loyal to the show I watch, and that’s GH. It’s hard to pick between Laura Wright and Maura West. Both were excellent here. I liked Maura’s just a little more, so I’m going with her.
I also want to make mention, Maurice Benard once again proves here as he did in Chad Duell’s reel that it’s a damn shame that he gets overlooked for award consideration every year. The same for Roger Howarth in Laura Wright’s reel. He was tremendous in that episode as well. Don’t remember seeing either guys name on the pre-nom list, so it’s possible neither chose to submit their name this year, but either way, both should be recognized for their excellent work.
Alison Sweeney got it right in her choice of what to submit. I hope she wins. She deserves it.
Alison and James Scott also both got it right in deciding to discontinue their roles…at least for now. The EJami story had run its course. This clip captures their relationship/story perfectly. There was no where else for the EJami story to go. This clip showed the best and worse of EJami.
Maura West all the way..she had the best reel wuth the biggest emotional punch. She deserves to win.
Maura West is the winner for me. Gina Tognoni is a close 2nd. I would almost give both of them the emmy but for me Maura’s had a subtleness about it that didn’t need to be yelling or hysterically crying to get the point across.
As for Alison I thought the reel was good but a little overacted for me (this is coming from a Susan Lucci fan) her reel didn’t move me the way Maura and Gina’s did.
What a sham.
I thought Peggy McCay was the best,with Laura in 2nd. Gina Tognoni is such a ham,overactor,scene scenery chewer,she is all over the place,hope she doesn’t win!
My prediction is Allison Sweeney her reel was the best
Peggy McCay’s speech at her grandson’s wedding was so touching, I had tears in my life.Peggy has surely earned a lifetime achievement award and she really deserves the daytime Emmy. What a wonderful gifted actress!
Breaking News
Robert Kelker-Kelly, ‘General Hospital,’ ‘Days of our Lives’ and ‘Another World’ Star Dies at 62
Robert Kelker-Kelly, who became prominent as a one of the leading men in soap operas back in the late 80s and 90s has died at the age of 62. TMZ first reported the news of Robert’s passing on Saturday, October 3 at his home in St. Peters, Missouri.
According to the St. Peters police report, officers responded to call at around 8:16 pm about an unconscious man who was not breathing, as paramedics and other EMS were en route. Kelker-Kelly had reportedly complained of chest pain shortly before becoming unresponsive and the circumstances appeared consistent with a medical event.
Officers and paramedics administered life-saving measures, but were unsuccessful in reviving Kelker-Kelly. The cause of his death is still unknown and under investigation.
Photo: NBC
Daytime fans first saw Robert back in 1987 when he was cast as Sam Fowler on Another World. He played the role for three year suntil 1990. Two years later, he took over the role of Bo Brady on Days of our Lives replacing Peter Reckell, who at that time decided to leave the show.
As Bo, Kelker-Kelly was major in story playing opposite the likes of: Crystal Chappell as Dr. Carly Manning, Kristian Alfonso as Hope Williams and Lisa Rinna as Billie Reed. When Peter Reckell returned to his signature role in 1995, Kelker-Kelly left the show.
Next, Robert returned to his original stomping grounds at Another World but this time as race car driver, Bobby Reno who was actually Dr. Shane Roberts. His second AW stint lasted from 1996-1998.
Photo: ABC
Eventually, the actor would begin his run as the evil Stavros Cassadine on General Hospital in 2001, then make returns in 2002 and 2003. In 2013, he briefly returned as Stavros as part of the show’s 50th anniversary celebration, and made one last appearance in 2014.
Robert has also became a professional pilot full from 2003 to 2015 and had been married to former Days of our Lives star, Miriam Parrish (ex-Jamie Caldwell) from 1997-2011, but the couple divorced in 2011. Since that time, he has not remarried.
Recently, Robert was back in the news when Lisa Rinna talked about her time working with her former Days of our Lives co-star in her recently released memoir, You Better Believe I’m Gonna Talk About It.
Rinna shared on her then on-screen love interest, “Behind the scenes, we hated each other. Remember when Kathy Hilton said I was the biggest bully in Hollywood? Not true. Not even close! I have legit stories about the real bullies in this town. Robert Kelker-Kelly is one of those bullies.”
The former Billie Reed and reality star even punctuated that with, “He made my life a living hell on the set of DAYS, He was horrible to me, I’d go so far as to say verbally abusive. He was passive-aggressive, manipulative and played weird mind games.”
Besides his role in the soaps, Kelker-Kelly appeared on primetime on Touched by an Angel and Rescue 77 , and played Bo in the Days of our Lives specials Night Sins and Winter Heat in the early 90s.
Michael Fairman TV will provide further updates as they become available on the death of Robert Kelker-Kelly.
Now, share your remembrances and condolences on the loss of Robert Kelker-Kelly via the comment section below and let us know of all his daytime roles, which was your favorite.
Days Of Our Lives
DAYS OF OUR LIVES Preview: Kristen Locates an Alive Sophia, How Much Does Rita Know About the Birth of Dominic Marino?
Next week, expected surprises and schemes on Days of our Lives. In official spoilers for episodes streaming on Peacock from October 5-9, it looks like Kristen (Stacy Haiduk) has hunted down a very much alive Sophia Choi (Rachel Boyd), while Marlena (Deidre Hall) admits a deeply concerning confession to her daughter Belle (Martha Madison), and more.
As previously reported, Tajh Bellow (ex-TJ Ashford, General Hospital) is stepping in for one day for Tyler Joseph Andrews in the role of Theo Carver and will share scenes with Gabi (Cherie Jimenez), where Theo finally agrees to go along with Gabi’s plan, after she offered him a job.
Meanwhile, Gabi may have her hands full with Philip (John-Paul Lavoisier) whose big win in Monte Carlo may have sparked his gambling addiction … all over again, but Philip reveals her has a plan.
Photo: Corday Productions
Sydney (Sydney Malekeh) is in for a shock when Dante (Franco LoPresti) arrives in Salem. Why is he in Salem? Is he part of the unraveling of the Dominic Marino mystery, since we know he seemed like he was talking to the man in Monte Carlo?
Will Marlena ever figure out what Rita (Maggie Carney) is hiding about the mystery of Dominic, and if Marlena is truly his birth mother or did something more suspicious go on and how deeply involved is Rita in this whole story?
EJ (Dan Feuerriegel) finally demands answers of his own from Rita after overhearing on today’s Cliffhanger Friday her conversation with Marlena. Will Rita cop to anything?
Then as noted, while everyone thinks Sophia took her own life, after Kristen “murdered” her, Kristen is infuriated to find she is somehow alive working as waitress in a diner in Kentucky. Will Kristen try to kill Sophia yet again?
Take a look at some of the additional spoilers for next week’s action on DAYS below.
Monday, October 5
Joy worries about her future.
Alex surprises Stephanie.
Chanel supports Johnny through a difficult decision.
Tuesday, October 6
Rachel gives Brady cause for concern.
Roman surprises Kate.
Wednesday, October 7
Leo’s good day takes an unexpected turn.
Brady is forced to make a difficult call.
Thursday, October 8
Paulina refuses to give up on Lani.
Chanel asks Johnny for a promise.
Friday, October 9
Stephanie and Alex steal a private moment.
Steve gets troubling news from Johnny.
So, what do you think will happen when Kristen finds that the woman she thought she murdered and framed (making it looking like a suicide) is alive and well and working in a diner far away from Salem? Was Rita more involved with Stefano DiMera than we even know? Who is the birth mother of Dominic? Is it really Marlena or did someone else carrying her child? And what of Dante? Why is he back in Salem? To get at Philip, or something else? Weigh-in via the comment section below.
Days Of Our Lives
‘General Hospital’ Alum Tajh Bellow Fills In for ‘Days of our Lives’ Tyler Joseph Andrews in the Role of Theo Carver
After an earlier post on Thursday, October 1 about General Hospital alumni Tajh Bellow’s (ex-TJ Ashford) upcoming project from Issa Rae’s HOOPAE Digital, comes word that Bellow is temporarily stepping into the role of Days of our Lives Theo Carver to fill in for Tyler Joseph Andrews on the Peacock streaming soap opera.
According to TV Insider, Bellow will be making a one-day appearance next week on the October 6 episode of DAYS as Andrews was unable to make the tape date that was shot 10 months ago on a day last December. Andrews (pictured below) took over the role of Theo in September of 2025.
In Bellow’s upcoming episode as Theo, he will share scenes with Cherie Jimenez (Gabi Hernandez). A DAYS spokesperson tells the outlet that Bellow “stepped seamlessly into the role, and the cast and crew were grateful for his professionalism and commitment, albeit for only one episode.”
Photo: JPI
TAJH WILL BE SEEN IN MULTIPLE PROJECTS IN OCTOBER
As General Hospital fans know, Tajh played the role of TJ Ashford from 2018 to his last appearance in December of 2024. Along the way, he received two Daytime Emmy nominations for his performances as TJ, the last being in 2025 in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Daytime Drama Series category.
In addition, bellow along with Y&R alum Loren Lott will be seen starting on October 14 in the new Love Island spoof series, The Compatibility Experiment. The show will drop exclusively on TikTok and the PineDrama platform.
The Compatibility Experiment gives a satirical look at reality dating shows, think Love Island! The story centers around Kelvin (Bellow) and Camila (Lott), whose relationship is put to the test when they join a reality show to try to win a the million dollar prize.
So, what do you think of Tajh stepping in for Tyler Joseph Andrews as Theo on DAYS? Perhaps, the soap opera liked his work that he might be considered for another role in the future bringing Bellow back to the soaps? Let us know your thoughts via the comment section below.
Van Hansis Marks Two Years as ‘General Hospital’s’ Dr. Lucas Jones
Robert Kelker-Kelly, ‘General Hospital,’ ‘Days of our Lives’ and ‘Another World’ Star Dies at 62
GENERAL HOSPITAL Preview: Everyone Turns Their Backs on Sonny; Can Anyone Get Chase to Open His Eyes About Willow’s Treachery?
GH’s Kayden Brenna Tokarski Addresses ‘Positivity and Negativity’ That Has Come Her Way as She Embraces Playing Scout Cain
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