Inside This Year’s Lead Actress Luncheon — See the Videos!
With the 2023 Daytime Emmy Awards coming up on Friday, Dec. 15, that means it’s time for the annual Lead Actress Luncheon! The tradition that was started years ago sees the previous year’s Lead Actress Emmy winner hosting a lunch that includes all of this year’s Lead Actress nominees.
So this year’s guest list included THE BOLD & THE BEAUTIFUL’s Jacqueline MacInnes Wood (Steffy), GENERAL HOSPITAL’s Finola Hughes (Anna), and THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS’ Sharon Case (Sharon), Melissa Claire Egan (Chelsea), and Michelle Stafford (Phyllis).
Last year’s winner, Mishael Morgan (Amanda, Y&R) hosted lunch on the private terrace at Redbird, a restaurant located in downtown Los Angeles. She even offered up gift bags full of beauty products like skin cream, mascara, and lashes!
“It’s a tradition started by the inimitable Susan Flannery (ex-Stephanie, B&B),” explained Hughes. “Yesterday was a very special lunch. Mishael Morgan raised the bar! The conversation was at once light-hearted and deep. This was an amazing group of women, supportive, funny, and caring. Thank you all for the brilliant few hours.”
“This is a real honor,” Stafford declared. “I’m truly honored to be in a group with all of these incredible women. I’ve loved them all for a very long time. We are all so grateful to be working on our shows… to be working in general, as actors. What a spectacular group of women. Mishael put together a brunch that was beyond spectacular with gift bags, even! I mean, Mishael, you are an absolute class act. Thank you for the beautiful day.”
Case agreed, “Yes! It was beyond spectacular! Thank you so much, Mishael!”
“To be nominated alongside this incredibly talented group of women is a true honor!” enthused Egan. “Thank you to last year’s winner, the fabulous Mishael Morgan, for hosting an epic Lead Actress Nominee Luncheon today.” She then joked: “It’s so nice that they all offered to give me their Emmy if they win!”
Be sure to tune in to the 50th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards on Friday, Dec. 15, on CBS and see which one of these talented women takes home the gold!
