“Young and the Restless” leads 2025 daytime Emmys with top drama nomination

The 2025 Daytime Emmy Awards nominations have been announced, and only three soap operas made it to the top category this year, according to Deadline. The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences revealed that ABC's "General Hospital," Peacock's "Days of Our Lives," and CBS's "The Young and the Restless" are the sole nominees for Outstanding Daytime Drama Series. This marks a significant drop from last year, when six shows competed in the same category.

The reduction follows a strict rule that limits nominations to no more than 50% of submitted entries when fewer than ten shows are entered in a category. Deadline reports that this longstanding rule helps maintain the integrity and excellence standards of the competition. The ceremony will take place on October 17 in Pasadena, moving from its traditional June slot. "General Hospital" won this category for four consecutive years, making it the favorite again. The 2025 eligibility window ran from January 1 to December 31, 2024, which explains why CBS's new soap "Beyond the Gates" is not included since it premiered in February 2025.

Looking at the nomination counts,Variety notes that "The Young and the Restless" leads with 19 nominations, followed by "General Hospital" with 16 and "Days of Our Lives" with 13. The acting categories showcase strong competition across all three shows. In the Lead Actor category, Peter Bergman represents "The Young and the Restless" as Jack Abbott, while "Days of Our Lives" has three nominees: Eric Martsolf as Brady Black, Greg Rikaart as Leo Stark, and Paul Telfer as Xander Kiriakis. "General Hospital" has one nominee, Dominic Zamprogna as Dante Falconeri.

Read more on Chicago Star:

• Ithaki and the family behind legendary restaurant Costa’s fires up Greektown’s comeback

• No passport needed: World Fair US brings culture & cuisine to Bridgeview this July

• Chicago Star kicks off summer in style at Mariano’s Lakeshore East

• Jim Belushi and the Rancics: Star-powered ‘Summer Ball’ supports Chicago youth 

The Lead Actress category features two nominees each from "The Young and the Restless" and "General Hospital," with one from "Days of Our Lives." According to Variety, the ceremony will combine all awards into a single event this year instead of having separate Creative Arts and main ceremonies. The organization has also introduced new categories, including Outstanding Emerging Talent in a Daytime Drama Program, which recognizes new performers on their first daytime contract who have been on their show for two years or less.

TV Insider emphasizes that the daytime talk show categories remain highly competitive despite the drama series’ reduction. "The Drew Barrymore Show," "The Jennifer Hudson Show," "The Kelly Clarkson Show," "Live with Kelly and Mark," and "The View" all received nominations for Outstanding Daytime Talk Series. The individual host categories feature familiar faces, with Kelly Clarkson and Drew Barrymore leading their respective shows' campaigns.

The ceremony will include various other categories beyond drama and talk shows, including culinary series, travel programs, and nature documentaries. TV Insider reports that the split of some categories has created more opportunities for recognition, with culinary series now divided into instructional and cultural categories. The travel and adventure category has also been split into separate travel/adventure and nature/science programs. This expansion reflects the growing diversity of daytime television programming. A notable change is the addition of regional content recognition, though these winners receive crystal pillars instead of Emmy statuettes. The awards show currently lacks a confirmed broadcast partner, as CBS's previous two-year deal ended last year.