Tunie claims top soap acting prize

The 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards returned to a streaming broadcast format after five years on CBS. The ceremony took place Friday night at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, marking the second consecutive year the event was not aired on traditional network television.

Tamara Tunie accepted the lead actress award for her role as Anita Dupree on Beyond the Gates. This victory marks her first win in the daytime category since her final appearance on As the World Turns in 2009. Tunie noted that she felt the support of previous Black actresses who opened doors for her in the industry.

Beyond the Gates debuted last year with the first primarily Black cast since Generations in the 1990s. It also stands as the first new network soap opera to launch since 1999. Tunie made her initial daytime debut in 1987 before stepping away from the genre for over a decade.

Roger Howarth and Beth Maitland both won supporting acting awards for their roles on The Young and the Restless. Howarth, who plays Matt Clark, last won in 1994 for One Life to Live. Maitland, who originated the role of Traci Abbott in 1982, has been associated with the character on and off for four decades.

Tracee Ellis Ross won in the travel and adventure category for her Roku series Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross. Ross thanked Morocco, Mexico, and Spain for the show’s locations. She is also a five-time Primetime Emmy nominee for her work on black-ish.

Ambyr Michelle won the emerging talent award for her performance on Beyond the Gates. This was the second year the daytime drama category recognized new talent. General Hospital received trophies for writing and guest performance, with Jeff Kober taking the guest actor honor.

Sherri Shepherd won as host for Sherri, a show that ended its four season run on Fox in May. Kelly Clarkson won for her daytime talk series after NBC ended the program in August following seven seasons. Neither winner attended the ceremony to accept their respective awards. Ina Garten won the culinary host award for Be My Guest on Food Network, while Giada De Laurentiis took the non-daily personality prize for Giada in the Kitchen.