The Daytime Emmy Award for Daytime Talk Series, originally called Outstanding Talk Show, is an award presented annually by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) to honor daytime talk shows. It was first presented as the Outstanding Talk Show award at the 1st Daytime Emmy Awards ceremony held in 1974.
From the 35th Daytime Emmy Awards in 2008 to the 49th Daytime Emmy Awards in 2022, the award was divided into two specific categories: Outstanding Talk Show—Informative, honoring talk shows that were more informative in nature, and Outstanding Talk Show—Entertainment, honoring those that were more entertainment in nature. In 2023, the NATAS merged the two specific categories back into one, under the new official name Outstanding Daytime Talk Series.
In the lists below, the winner of the award for each year is shown first, followed by the other nominees.
1970s Year Program NetworkRef 1974 (1st) The Merv Griffin Show Dinah's Place The Mike Douglas Show 1975 (2nd) Dinah! The Mike Douglas Show Today 1976(3rd) Dinah! Good Morning America The Mike Douglas Show 1977(4th) The Merv Griffin Show Dinah! The Gong Show The Mike Douglas Show 1978(5th) The Phil Donahue Show Dinah! The Merv Griffin Show The Mike Douglas Show 1979(6th) The Phil Donahue Show Dinah! Good Morning America The Mike Douglas Show
1980s Year Program NetworkRef 1980 (7th) The Phil Donahue Show Dinah! Good Morning America 1981 (8th) The Phil Donahue Show Over Easy The Richard Simmons Show 1982 (9th) The Richard Simmons Show The Phil Donahue Show Hour MagazineLouis Rukeyser's Business Journal 1983 (10th) This Old House The Phil Donahue Show Hour Magazine The Richard Simmons Show 1984 (11th) Woman to Woman The Phil Donahue Show Hour MagazineThis Old House 1985 (12th) The Phil Donahue Show Hour Magazine The Merv Griffin ShowThis Old House Woman to Woman 1986 (13th) The Phil Donahue Show Hour Magazine New York's Master Chefs This Old House 1987 (14th) The Oprah Winfrey Show The Phil Donahue Show Hour MagazineThis Old House 1988 (15th) The Oprah Winfrey Show The Phil Donahue Show The Frugal Gourmet This Old HouseThe Wil Shriner Show 1989 (16th) The Oprah Winfrey Show The Phil Donahue Show The Frugal Gourmet Live with Regis and Kathie Lee This Old House
1990s Year Program NetworkRef 1990 (17th) Sally Jessy Raphael The Phil Donahue Show The Frugal Gourmet The Oprah Winfrey ShowThis Old House 1991 (18th) The Oprah Winfrey Show The Phil Donahue Show The Home Show This Old House 1992(19th) The Oprah Winfrey Show The Phil Donahue Show The Joan Rivers ShowLive with Regis and Kathie LeeThis Old House 1993(20th) Good Morning America The Phil Donahue Show Live with Regis and Kathie LeeThe Oprah Winfrey ShowThis Old House 1994 (21st) The Oprah Winfrey Show The Phil Donahue Show Live with Regis and Kathie LeeRicki LakeVicki! 1995 (22nd) The Oprah Winfrey Show CNN & Company The Phil Donahue Show Leeza Live with Regis and Kathie Lee 1996 (23rd) The Oprah Winfrey Show CNN & Company The Phil Donahue Show Leeza Live with Regis and Kathie Lee 1997 (24th) The Oprah Winfrey Show The Phil Donahue Show Leeza Live with Regis and Kathie Lee The Rosie O'Donnell Show 1998 (25th) The Rosie O'Donnell Show Leeza Live with Regis and Kathie Lee The Oprah Winfrey Show The View 1999(26th) The Rosie O'Donnell Show Leeza Live with Regis and Kathie Lee The Oprah Winfrey Show The View
2000–2007 Year Program NetworkRef 2000(27th)The Rosie O'Donnell Show Donny & Marie Live with Regis and Kathie LeeThe Martin Short Show The View 2001(28th)The Rosie O'Donnell Show Donny & Marie Live with RegisThe Montell Williams Show The View 2002(29th)The Rosie O'Donnell Show Live with Regis and Kelly The Montell Williams Show The View 2003(30th)The View The Wayne Brady Show Dr. Phil Live with Regis and KellySoap Talk 2004(31st)The Ellen DeGeneres Show Dr. Phil Live with Regis and KellyThe View The Wayne Brady Show 2005(32nd)The Ellen DeGeneres Show Dr. Phil Live with Regis and KellySoap Talk The View 2006(33rd)The Ellen DeGeneres Show Dr. Phil Live with Regis and KellyThe View 2007(34th)The Ellen DeGeneres Show Dr. Phil Rachael RayThe Tyra Banks ShowThe View
2008–2022 The award was split into Talk Show—Informative and Talk Show—Entertainment.
2023–present The separate Informative and Entertainment awards were merged back into a single award.
Year Program NetworkRef 2023 (50th) The Kelly Clarkson Show The Drew Barrymore Show Syndicated The Jennifer Hudson Show Live with Kelly and Ryan Today with Hoda & Jenna 2024 (51st) The Kelly Clarkson Show The Jennifer Hudson Show Syndicated Tamron Hall Turning the Table with Robin Roberts The View 2025 (52nd)Live with Kelly and Mark The Drew Barrymore Show Syndicated The Jennifer Hudson Show The Kelly Clarkson Show 2026 (53rd) *Winner(s) will be announced on October 30, 2026 3rd Hour Today The Drew Barrymore Show Syndicated The Kelly Clarkson Show Syndicated Live with Kelly and Mark Syndicated Today with Jenna & Friends The View
Multiple wins and nominations Wins Host9The Oprah Winfrey Show6Donahue5 The Rosie O'Donnell Show4The Ellen DeGeneres Show2Dinah! The Kelly Clarkson Show The Merv Griffin Show
Nominations Host20Donahue19Live13The Oprah Winfrey Show12The View 11This Old House6Dinah!Hour MagazineDonahueThe Mike Douglas Show5Leeza The Rosie O'Donnell Show4The Ellen DeGeneres ShowGood Morning AmericaThe Kelly Clarkson Show3The Drew Barrymore ShowThe Frugal GourmetThe Jennifer Hudson ShowThe Richard Simmons Show24th Hour of TodayCNN & CompanyDonny & Marie The Merv Griffin ShowThe Montell Williams ShowSoap TalkThe Wayne Brady ShowWoman to Woman
References
"The Emmy Awards." The 2003 People Almanac. New York: Cader Books, 2002. http://www.emmyonline.org/daytime/