The 2020 Daytime Emmy Awards have been canceled amid coronavirus pandemic concerns. The annual event honoring the best of the best in the daytime industry is the latest event to be axed due to the outbreak.
There is some good news for fans. The Daytime Emmys is working on an alternate way to celebrate and honor those who have worked so hard in the daytime genre during 2019.
Daytime Emmy Awards canceled
While some events like the Academy of Country Music Awards have been postponed, it was decided to cancel the 2020 Daytime Emmy Awards. Terry O’Reilly, the chairman of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, sent a letter to all NATAS members on Thursday, sharing the sad news.
“Given our concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, we have decided that we will not be staging the 47th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards in Pasadena this coming June. As there are so many unknowns right now with the flow of information changing on a daily, almost hourly, basis, it would simply be irresponsible to move forward with our annual celebration of excellence in daytime television at this time,” read the letter.
The 47th Daytime Emmy Awards were slated to take place on Sunday, June 12. It has been five years since the awards ceremony was televised, but the show has been streamed online.
The daytime industry will still be honored
Despite the ceremony being canceled, the Daytime Emmy Awards will still be given out. Terry shared other ideas to celebrate those in the daytime industry are being mulled over.
Brent Stanton, Executive Director, Daytime Emmy Awards, shared the gala is canceled, but the awards will be handed out.
“While we realize this is disappointing, this does not mean we will not be celebrating the work selected for recognition in our Awards judging processes. Judging continues, and we look forward to announcing our incredibly talented nominees later this Spring. We are working on some interesting alternative ideas for how to best recognize the honorees later this year and will share more details in the weeks ahead,” Brent explained.
The news that the 2020 Daytime Emmy Awards has been canceled is a bummer for fans, but not surprising considering the current health climate. General Hospital, The Young and the Restless, The Bold and the Beautiful and Days of our Lives have all suspended production for the next few weeks because of the coronavirus.
This week, Y&R’s Greg Rikaart and GH’s Chloe Lanier shared they have symptoms from the coronavirus, as well as their frustration over lack of testing for COVID-19.
When a solution has been reached for an alternative, fans will be notified.