Your 2026 Daytime Emmy Lead Actor Nominees

The full list of the nominations for The 53rd Annual Daytime Emmys is being released tomorrow, but some of the categories have already been revealed. One in particular is of interest to soap opera fans, as it's the category for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.

And the Daytime Emmy Goes To

Y&R's Eric Braeden (Victor) and Christian LeBlanc (Michael), and GH's Steve Burton (Jason) are nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Best Actor | Image: JPI

Extra!, the TV news magazine series, released the names of the nominees for Outstanding Lead Performer in a Daytime Drama Series — Actor. The nominated actors are Eric Braeden, The Young and the Restless, Steve Burton, General Hospital, Scott Clifton, The Bold and the Beautiful, Thorsten Kaye, B&B, and Christian LeBlanc, Y&R.

In 2025, which was the category's eligibility period, Braeden's Victor battled Phyllis (Michelle Stafford) for control of Newman Enterprises. Burton's Jason mourned the loss of his mother, Monica (Leslie Charleson), Clifton's Liam faced his mortality after being led to believe that he had a fatal brain condition, and Kaye's Ridge, once again, was drawn into a romantic triangle with Brooke (Katherine Kelly Lang) and Taylor (Rebecca Budig). Also, LeBlanc's Michael had a dramatic showdown with Victor over leaving his employee.

All five of these nominees are winners in either this category or the category of Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. Clifton's first Daytime Emmy was in the now-retired category of Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series.

Something to Talk About

The cast of The View on ABC | Image: ABC

The other category announced on Extra was Outstanding Daytime Talk Series Host. The nominees in that category include: Joy Behar, Whoopi Goldberg, Alyssa Farah Griffin, Sara Haines, Sunny Hostin, and Ana Navarro, The View; Kelly Clarkson, The Kelly Clarkson Show, Tamron Hall, Tamron Hall, Jennifer Hudson, The Jennifer Hudson Show, and Sherri Shepherd, Sherri.

The 53rd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be presented on Friday, October 30, 2026.