Nominations for the Outstanding Lead Performance in a Daytime Drama Series: Actress category were announced Monday evening on “Entertainment Tonight,” with actresses from “Beyond the Gates,” “The Bold and the Beautiful,” “Days of our Lives” and “The Young and the Restless” vying for recognition during “The 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards,” taking place on Friday, October 30, in Hollywood, CA.
This year’s nominees include Stacy Haiduk (Kristen DiMera, “Days of our Lives”), Karla Mosley (Dani Dupree, “Beyond the Gates”), Michelle Stafford (Phyllis Summers, “The Young and the Restless”), Heather Tom (Katie Logan, “The Bold and the Beautiful”) and Tamara Tunie (Anita Dupree, “Beyond the Gates”).
Subsequent early nominations announced on Monday included “Extra,” announcing Outstanding Lead Performance in a Daytime Drama Series: Actor and Outstanding Daytime Talk Series Host, with “The View” set to announce the Outstanding Daytime Drama Series, Outstanding Entertainment News Series and Outstanding Daytime Personality: Daily categories during its broadcast on Tuesday, July 14, with the full release set to be revealed immediately after at 12:00 p.m. ET/9:00 a.m. PT.
A venue was not formally announced during the “Entertainment Tonight” broadcast, nor whether the ceremony will be broadcast on a television network after last year’s ceremony was streamed via watch.theemmys.tv and its associated apps.
Outstanding Lead Performance in a Daytime Drama Series: Actress Nominees
Stacy Haiduk
Courtesy
Making her daytime soap opera debut in 2007, where she portrayed Hannah Nichols on “All My Children,” Stacy Haiduk is marking her first-ever nomination in the Lead Actress category after previously submitting in the Supporting Actress category.
This year’s Emmy nomination marks Haiduk’s third for her portrayal of Kirsten DiMera on “Days of our Lives,” and her fourth overall, including her 2017 nomination for her performance as Patty Williams on “The Young and the Restless.”
Overall, Haiduk was nominated for Supporting Actress in 2017 for “The Young and the Restless,” followed by noms in 2022 and 2023 for “Days of our Lives,” and now, in 2026, for Lead Actress, with each year’s nomination for work aired during the prior calendar year.
Haiduk’s Emmy Nomination History
- Overall nominations: 4
- Overall Wins: 0 (thus far)
Karla Mosley
Sonja Flemming/CBS
Though she made her soap opera debut in 2008, portraying Christina Moore Boudreau on “Guiding Light,” and later Maya Avant on “The Bold and the Beautiful,” Karla Mosley is making her Emmy nomination debut this year for her portrayal of Dani Dupree on “Beyond the Gates.”
Mosley’s Emmy Nomination History
- Overall nominations: 1
- Overall Wins: 0 (thus far)
Michelle Stafford
Bill Inoshita/CBS
Michelle Stafford has now received her 14th Emmy nomination, all for her portrayal as Phyllis Summers on “The Young and the Restless.” Having originated the role in __, Stafford took home her first-ever Emmy in 1997 for Supporting Actress, having been nominated the previous year in the same category. In 2003, Stafford began submitting in the Lead Actress category, winning the award in 2004 and 2024 out of 11 nominations at the time.
Overall, Stafford was nominated for Supporting Actress twice, in 1996 and 1997, winning the statue in the latter year. She was again nominated in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2023, 2024, 2025 and now 2026, for Lead Actress, winning in 2004 and 2024, with each year’s nomination being for work aired during the prior calendar year.
All of Stafford’s nominations exclude the 2005 Special Fan Award category, which she and Peter Bergman‘s characters (Phyllis Summers and Jack Abbott) were nominated for – Irresistible Combination.
Stafford’s Emmy Nomination History
- Overall nominations: 14
- Overall Wins: 3 (thus far)
Heather Tom
Bill Inoshita/CBS
The only actress to ever receive Emmy wins in all three top acting categories, Heather Tom has now been nominated for the 20th time throughout her soap opera career, having previously won two statues in the Younger Actress category in 1993 and 1999 for her portrayal of Victoria Newman on “The Young and the Restless,” years after making her soap opera debut in Genoa City in 1990, and four other wins for her portrayal of Katie Logan on “The Bold and the Beautiful,” first winning in the Supporting Actress category in 2011, followed by wins in 2012, 2013 and 2020 in the Lead Actress category.
This year’s nomination marks Tom’s seventh for Lead Actress. She previously received five nominations for Supporting Actress, including one nomination for “The Young and the Restless,” two for her performance as Kelly Cramer on “One Life to Live,” and two more for “The Bold and the Beautiful.” She also previously received eight nominations in the Younger Actress category for her work on “The Young and the Restless.”
Overall, Tom was Emmy-nominated in 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000 in the Younger Actress category, including the aforementioned two wins, all for work on “The Young and the Restless.” In 2004, she received her first-ever nomination for Supporting Actress, also for “The Young and the Restless,” but departed the series to join “One Life to Live,” where in 2005 and 2007, she received her second and third nominations in the Supporting Actress category. After exiting to join “The Bold and the Beautiful,” Tom earned additional nominations in the Supporting Actress category, including in 2008 and 2011, winning in the latter year. By 2012, she earned her first-ever Lead Actress nomination, again for her work on “The Bold and the Beautiful,” securing further nominations in 2013, 2014, 2017, 2019, 2020 and now 2026, winning in 2012, 2013 and 2020, with each year’s nomination being for work aired during the prior calendar year.
Tom’s Emmy Nomination History
- Overall nominations: 20
- Overall Wins: 6 (thus far)
Tamara Tunie
Michele Crowe/CBS
A veteran of daytime soaps, making her debut in 1987 as Jessica Girffin on “As The World Turns,” Tamara Tunie is receiving her first-ever Emmy nomination for her portrayal of Anita Dupree on “Beyond the Gates.” The “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” actress has also appeared on “Days of our Lives” as Judge Weston.
Tunie’s Emmy Nomination History
- Overall nominations: 1
- Overall Wins: 0 (thus far)
To recap, the nominees for Outstanding Lead Performance in a Daytime Drama Series: Actress are:
- Stacy Haiduk (Kristen DiMera, “Days of our Lives”)
- Karla Mosley (Dani Dupree, “Beyond the Gates”)
- Michelle Stafford (Phyllis Summers, “Beyond the Gates”)
- Heather Tom (Katie Logan, “The Bold and the Beautiful”)
- Tamara Tunie (Anita Dupree, “Beyond the Gates”)
Last year’s winner was Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis Davis, “General Hospital”), who took home the top prize over co-star Laura Wright (Carly Spencer), and “The Young and the Restless” stars Sharon Case (Sharon Newman), Eileen Davidson (Ashley Abbott), Melissa Claire Egan (Chelsea Lawson) and the aforementioned Michelle Stafford.