It was a big night for Susan Lucci at the 50th annual Daytime Emmy Awards on Friday.
The 76-year-old actress was reunited with her soap opera peer, The Young and the Restless alum Shemar Moore, when he presented her with the Lifetime Achievement Honor onstage at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles, California.
“When you have honed and refined your craft longer than most can even fathom, when you’ve kept the same eager, bright-eyed outlook toward everyone you’ve ever worked with, when you’ve encouraged others every step of the way, you deserve recognition,” Moore said onstage before presenting Lucci with the honor. “She’s been ranked as one of the 50 Greatest Television Stars of All Time, and I couldn’t agree more.”
After playing a reel of her career highlights and tributes from her family and peers, Lucci was greed onstage with a roaring standing ovation.
“Thank you so much,” she said while fighting back tears. “I thank the Academy, to the Emmy committee, to CBS for giving me this enormous honor. And how lucky am I to dream my dreams of becoming an actress and grow up and have my dreams come true.”
“I am truly humbled to receive this esteemed award from the Academy. Throughout my career, I have been incredibly fortunate to work alongside exceptional talents and embraced by my fans that have been with me every step of the way,” Lucci said in a statement ahead of accepting the award. “This honor is not just a reflection of my journey, but a testament to the enduring power of storytelling and the profound connection we are so lucky to forge with audiences all over the world through television.”
Lucci — who portrayed Erica Kane on All My Children for 41 years, from 1970 to 2011 — was famously nominated 19 times for a Daytime Emmy before she finally won in 1999.
Moore was the one to present Lucci with her first Emmy, proclaiming, “The streak is over!”
She has been nominated a total of 21 times.
In addition to Lucci, veteran talk show host Maury Povich was also given the same honor at this year’s Daytime Emmys.
Hosted by ET’s Kevin Frazier and Nischelle Turner, the awards ceremony aired on CBS and is now streaming on Paramount+.
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