Daytime Emmys 2025: General Hospital Wins, Mario Lopez Leads the Top Night

Liputan6.com, Jakarta The prestigious 52nd Daytime Emmy Awards were successfully held on Friday, October 17, 2025.

The grand ceremony, held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California, was a major highlight for daytime television in the United States.

The awards ceremony marked a significant change from tradition, with the Daytime Emmys previously held in May or June.

Mario Lopez returned as host for the fourth time, but this was his first time as the sole host.

He successfully guided the ceremony, which was filled with memorable moments, including the dominance of "General Hospital" and inspiring speeches from the winners.

The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) announced changes to the Daytime Emmy Awards schedule in January 2025.

This decision moved the ceremony from its traditional May/June schedule to October, swapping places with the News and Documentary Emmy Awards.

This schedule shift aims to further highlight the timely nature of news and documentary programming.

The 52nd awards ceremony was broadcast live on the NATAS website at watch.theemmys.tv, allowing widespread fan access.

Mario Lopez, who was announced as host on September 17, 2025, successfully hosted the ceremony.

This was Lopez's fourth time as host, but his first as the sole host, demonstrating the full confidence of the organizers.For the first time since 2018, public tickets were available through Ticketmaster starting at $75.

However, these tickets did not include access to the red carpet or after-party, giving fans the opportunity to be part of the festivities.

Nominations for the 2025 Daytime Emmys were announced on July 10, 2025, with several major categories revealed the day before by popular entertainment programs.

"The Young and the Restless" led the way with 19 nominations, followed closely by "General Hospital" with 16.

"Days of Our Lives" also had a strong showing with 13 nominations, while "The Bold and the Beautiful" earned four nominations.

NATAS implemented a strict rule that no more than 50% of entries could be nominated if there were fewer than ten submissions in a given category.

This rule left only three daytime dramas eligible for nomination: "Days of Our Lives," "General Hospital," and "The Young and the Restless."

The most recent drama, "Beyond the Gates," was disqualified because it premiered after the December 31, 2024, eligibility deadline.

This year, several new categories were introduced to recognize the diversity of daytime content.

The categories include Outstanding Culinary Cultural Series, Outstanding Emerging Talent in a Daytime Drama Series, and Outstanding Regional Content in a Daytime Genre.

• Outstanding Daytime Drama Series: Days of Our Lives, General Hospital, The Young and the Restless.
• Outstanding Daytime Talk Series: The Drew Barrymore Show, The Jennifer Hudson Show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Live With Kelly and Mark, The View.
• Outstanding Lead Actress In A Daytime Drama Series: Sharon Case (The Young and the Restless), Eileen Davidson (The Young and the Restless), Melissa Claire Egan (The Young and the Restless), Nancy Lee Grahn (General Hospital), Michelle Stafford (The Young and the Restless), Laura Wright (General Hospital).
• Outstanding Lead Actor in A Daytime Drama: Peter Bergman (The Young and the Restless), Eric Martsolf (Days of Our Lives), Greg Rikaart (Days of Our Lives), Paul Telfer (Days of Our Lives), Dominic Zamprogna (General Hospital).

The 2025 Daytime Emmys saw "General Hospital" dominate, winning the Outstanding Daytime Drama Series award, won seven awards in total.

Several actors from "General Hospital" also received individual awards, including Alley Mills for Outstanding Guest Performance and Jonathan Jackson, who won his sixth Emmy.

Nancy Lee Grahn also won an acting award and delivered a powerful speech, specifically called for everyone to "show up, stand up, and speak out for human decency and democracy."

Drew Barrymore earned her first Emmy for Outstanding Daytime Talk Series Host for "The Drew Barrymore Show," a proud achievement.

Meanwhile, "Live With Kelly and Mark," hosted by Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, was named Outstanding Daytime Talk Series.

Veteran journalist Deborah Norville, who recently retired from "Inside Edition," received the Lifetime Achievement Award.