Daytime Emmy Winner Breaks 'Forbidden' Rule While Judging Controversial Categoryoriginally appeared onParade. It appears not all of the drama happening at the upcoming 52nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards is taking place on screen. One recent Emmy winner found themselves doing something 'forbidden' as a judge in what turned out to be one of the ceremony's most talked-about and controversial categories. On July 11th The Official Emmy's X (formerly Twitter) accountposteda thread of Frequently Asked Questions in regard to theDaytime Emmys. In that thread they posted, "3) NATAS judges are forbidden from talking about what specific categories they served on or their opinions of the material they reviewed (personally, privately, social media etc). They are assigned based on their areas of expertise, and watched and scored each submission." Meanwhile, on Instagram,Daytime Emmy Winnerand 2025Nominee, General Hospitalstar,Kate Mansitook to her story and posted a screenshot of theDeadlinearticle announcing the Daytime Emmy nominations. She specifically highlighting the controversial 'Outstanding Lead Actress in a Daytime Drama Series' category and wrote, "I was so lucky to judge this impossible category and so proud of each of these women, and friends!" 🎬SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox The category has been heavilycriticized byDays of Our Livesfans, and fellow actors, who expected to seeDaytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement AwardwinnerSusan Seaforth Hayesincluded when the list was announced. The actress had endured an especially difficult year following the passing of her husbandBill Hayes. Something anyone would struggle with. Her grief was multiplied by the fact that Bill also portrayed her on-screen love interest on the Peacock streaming soap opera, so not only did she have to mourn the loss of her husband in real life, but also deal with his loss on the show. As the announcements were being made,Amy Jean Shaughnessytook toX to say, "I'm gonna have something to say if Susan Seaforth Hayes isn't nominated for a@DaytimeEmmysthis year….." A longtimeDays of Our Livesfan and active social media user Steven asked Shaughnessy what category Hayes submitted for, as the actress could've submitted for either Lead or Supporting. The user asked, "What category did she submit for? I need to know before I burn this place down." To which Shaughnessy responded, "We submitted her for Lead Actress, because this year's material was Lead Actress material." Hayes hassince released a statement,thanking her fans, and supporting the women who were nominated. Mansi was nominated herself for "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series" for her work onGeneral Hospitalas Kristina Corinthos-Davis. Parade did not immediately hear back when requesting a comment. The Daytime Emmy's will take place on October 17, 2025. Daytime Emmy Winner Breaks 'Forbidden' Rule While Judging Controversial Categoryfirst appeared on Parade on Jul 20, 2025 This story was originally reported byParadeon Jul 20, 2025, where it first appeared.
