The Huge Soap Star No One Expected To Turn Up At The 2022 Daytime Emmys

The 49th Daytime Emmy awards were an exciting night for fans of soap operas everywhere. This year was extra special as it marked the return to an in-person ceremony after the show was forced to take a hiatus for two years following the COVID-19 pandemic (via Yahoo!). The event, which took place in Pasadena, California, was the first time many of your favorite daytime stars were back together since 2020.

The list of nominees was impressive this year. Even Beyoncé made the list of those up for an award (via Entertainment Tonight). Of course, "General Hospital" and "The Young and the Restless" were in the lead for the most nominations, while "Days of Our Lives: Beyond Salem" and "Days of Our Lives" were up against each other in the same category. It was sure to be a fun night!

Fans kept a close eye on the celebrities arriving at the event, with each nominee and guest walking the red carpet before the show started (via People). It was then that a huge soap star was spotted when many fans assumed she wouldn't be attending this year's festivities.

There are few more iconic names in the soap opera world than Susan Lucci. Lovingly known as the "Queen of Daytime Television," Lucci spent decades on "All My Children" playing the role of Erica Kane and entertaining daytime viewers from 1970 to 2011 (via IMDb). Though she is a legend in the soap world, it took 19 Emmy nominations before she finally won.

While it would likely be expected of Lucci to turn up at the Daytime Emmys this year, she is currently mourning the loss of her husband, Helmut Huber, who passed away earlier this year (via People). Lucci was there and spoke during the in memoriam section of the ceremony and fans were feeling all of the emotions. One viewer wrote on Twitter, "Susan Lucci talking about her late husband and Michael Bolton singing 'How Am I Supposed to Live without You' for the In Memoriam has me in tears." Another added, "[Susan Lucci] has always been one of the most gracious women I've known. It could not have been easy for her to speak tonight at the [Daytime Emmys]. I salute her for doing that."

It seems fans were thrilled to see the iconic soap star at the event and were moved by her words.