Entertainment

Kelly Clarkson's show wins five at the 2026 Daytime Emmys

The Kelly Clarkson Show led the 53rd Daytime Emmys with five wins, while General Hospital took top drama and Genie Francis was honored.

By NewsCubby Newsroom · Published October 31, 2026 at 11:09 PM EDT

Reviewed by Josh Kaplan · Prepared with AI assistance

Kelly Clarkson singing into a microphone on stage in Birmingham, England, in 2010. — ARCHIVE PHOTO: Kelly Clarkson in concert in Birmingham, England, February 13, 2010. Photo by vagueonthehow / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0 (cropped). Credit: vagueonthehow / Wikimedia Commons. Photo source · License: CC BY 2.0

What to know

***The Kelly Clarkson Show*** won five: Daytime Talk Series, studio directing, live sound mixing and editing, art direction/set decoration/scenic design, and hairstyling and makeup (shared).
***General Hospital*** won Outstanding Daytime Drama Series and three more awards.
***Beyond the Gates*** won four in its first year of eligibility, including lead actress for Tamara Tunie.
**Genie Francis** of *General Hospital* received the Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by her husband, Jonathan Frakes.
**Replay:** the ceremony is on the Emmy Awards YouTube channel (YouTube).

*The Kelly Clarkson Show* was the biggest winner at the 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards on Friday, October 30, taking home five trophies at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, according to the official winners list from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS).

ABC's *General Hospital* won Outstanding Daytime Drama Series and finished with four awards. CBS's first-year soap *Beyond the Gates* also won four, and CBS led all networks with 10 wins (CBS).

Kelly Clarkson's five wins

Clarkson's talk show won the night's top talk prize, Outstanding Daytime Talk Series. It also won Outstanding Directing for a Daytime Studio Non-Fiction Series and Outstanding Sound Mixing and Sound Editing for a Live Daytime Program (NATAS).

Its other two awards were in craft categories: Outstanding Art Direction/Set Decoration/Scenic Design for a Daytime Program, and Outstanding Hairstyling and Makeup for a Daytime Program, a category in which it tied with *Beyond the Gates*.

The haul brings the show's Daytime Emmy total to 29, TheWrap reported. It is the show's third-biggest night, after seven wins in 2022 and six in 2023. Clarkson herself won Outstanding Entertainment Talk Show Host for the show's first season in 2020 (TheWrap). The series ended in August, and TheWrap noted it will be eligible next year for its final season.

The soaps: General Hospital and Beyond the Gates

*General Hospital* won Outstanding Daytime Drama Series, plus awards for its writing team and casting. Jeff Kober won Outstanding Guest Performance in a Daytime Drama Series for the show (TheWrap).

*Beyond the Gates* had a strong first year. Tamara Tunie won lead actress, Ambyr Michelle won Outstanding Emerging Talent, and the show also took lighting direction and its share of the hairstyling and makeup prize.

The other acting awards were spread across CBS dramas. Scott Clifton won lead actor for *The Bold and the Beautiful*. Beth Maitland and Roger Howarth won the supporting actress and actor awards for *The Young and the Restless*. *Days of our Lives* won for its directing team (NATAS).

Beyond the soaps

Sherri Shepherd won Outstanding Daytime Talk Series Host for *Sherri*, which also recently aired its final episode. Ina Garten's *Be My Guest With Ina Garten* won Outstanding Culinary Instructional Series, and Garten won Outstanding Culinary Host (TheWrap).

Tracee Ellis Ross's *Solo Traveling* won the travel and adventure category. *Entertainment Tonight* won Outstanding Entertainment News Series, Giada De Laurentiis won the non-daily personality award for *Giada in My Kitchen*, and *The Drew Barrymore Show* won for main title and graphic design. *Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade* won for music direction and for technical direction.

Genie Francis honored

The ceremony's lifetime honor went to Genie Francis, best known as Laura on *General Hospital*. Her husband, actor and director Jonathan Frakes, presented the award (TV Insider). TheWrap noted that next February will mark 50 years since her debut on the show.

"For more than 50 years, daytime programming has brought people together through stories that entertain, inform, and inspire," NATAS President and CEO Adam Sharp said in a statement quoted by TheWrap.