Jason Thompson and Melissa Ordway Missing Emmys Due to COVID
Two nominees from THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS won’t be at tonight’s Daytime Emmy Awards. Outstanding Lead Actor contender Jason Thompson (Billy) and Outstanding Supporting Actress nominee Melissa Ordway (Abby) revealed on social media that they have tested positive for COVID-19. Both actors had been in Europe last weekend, representing Y&R at the 61st Annual Monte-Carlo Television Festival in Monaco.
On Instagram, Thompson wrote that “After 2.5 years of dodging COVID… I finally tested positive! I’m very sorry to say I won’t be attending the Daytime Emmys tomorrow night and that’s a bummer!”
Thompson’s post also included a video message, in which he told his followers that he felt like he had a minor cold and that the illness would cause him to miss a dear friend’s wedding in Wyoming this coming weekend. “That makes me very sad,” he said in the video. “I love the Daytime Emmys. I love celebrating what we do. I have a lot of friends in the industry, and I was really looking forward to seeing them, especially after doing it virtually for the last two years.”
After wishing his fellow nominees a “fantastic night,” Thompson said he’d be cheering Y&R on while watching from home. “I’ll be back to work in a week or so to try and earn another invite to the big night!”
Shortly after Thompson’s announcement, Ordway posted a typed, heartfelt note explaining that she had also tested positive. “It has always been a dream of mine to be nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award and to bring my parents to the show. It was about to come true until I tested positive for COVID yesterday afternoon,” she wrote in both the note and the text copied to the photo’s caption. “I’m so disappointed that I won’t be able to celebrate with everyone on Friday. I’ve cried lots of tears.”
Ordway’s husband, Justin Gaston, had accompanied her to Monte Carlo, but so far, he and the couple’s two daughters seem to be in the clear, and Ordway herself is asymptomatic. “What a blessing,” she confessed before going on to thank the village that helped her get nominated for her first Daytime Emmy Award and apologizing to her parents for their weekend falling apart. “I was so excited to attend the awards with you. This nomination was because you always believed in me. I love you.”
After being virtual for the past two years due to COVID-19 restrictions, The 49th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be held in person tonight, June 24, at the Pasadena Civic Center. The ceremony will be broadcast live from 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+.
