From the top of the show, the 42nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards made a statement. It was hosted by a fabulously fierce, confident and authentic Tyra Banks. It honored the more than sixty-year (and going strong!) career of the incomparable Betty White, at 93 years young. And it featured a back-to-back win for the independently produced latin news program, “Un Nuevo Dia" for "Outstanding Morning Program in Spanish." 

Pay attention, Hollywood: daytime programming — and its talented, diverse, multi-generational, loyal group of producers, creators, actors and fans— have made it one of the most progressive sites for cultural production and consumption on the planet. But as any daytime devotee knows, innovation and authenticity — both behind and in front of the camera —are nothing new to the world of daytime. They’ve been doing it for years. 

“In the Banks household growing up, we never missed an episode of ‘The Young and the Restless,’” Banks said in her opening monologue. And the same was true for me. I’m a third generation fan of “Y&R” (and have only taken breaks from watching faithfully because of my rigorous graduate school schedule as of late). 

 The stories, the characters, and the families’ struggles we grew up with are a comforting place to come home to whenever and wherever “home” goes. On the red carpet before the show, I had the opportunity to interview a number of talented and articulated actors from “Y&R” and “The Bold and the Beautiful,” such as Gina Tognoni, Tracy Bregman, Scott Clifton, and Darrin Brooks, among others, to find out what makes daytime so special and so personal. 

READ MORE: Complete List of Daytime Emmy Winners 2015 

Here’s a recap of five moments from the red carpet and the stage of this year’s Daytime Emmys that rekindled my faith in the media and in humanity: 


1. On Kindness. Tognoni, who was nominated for her fourth Daytime Emmy this year, told me she loves working for veteran executive producer Jill Farren Phelps because, “at the end of the day, she’s a kind person. She’s powerful, she’s a woman, she knows who she is.” 

2. On Community. The “family” community seems to extend from the storylines of iconic soap operas into the production side of daytime programming and into the fan community, as well. Several of the actors I spoke to on the red carpet said their castmates are truly like members of their family. But the most poignant moment of the evening was a clip of Joan Rivers accepting her award in 1990, followed by these words from her daughter, Melissa Rivers, on the stage, visibly emotional: “My mother felt loved and valued by the daytime community, and for that, I will always be grateful.” 

3. On Resilience. Rivers had accepted her award in 1990 after a tumultuous time in which she thought she’d never work again. That same strength and resilience was echoed in speeches from Maura West and Linsey Godfrey, each having gone through their own personal experiences with adversity. How has daytime itself emerged after years of cutbacks and drops in viewership? “We are proud to stand alongside ‘Days of our Lives,’ ‘General Hospital,’ and ‘The Bold and the Beautiful,’ not as competitors, but as strong survivors,” said Jill Farren Phelps when she accepted the Daytime Emmy for “Outstanding Drama Series” on behalf of “The Young and the Restless.” 

4. On Trust. In a world of ‘truthiness’ and flat-out lies by some of our most trusted news anchors in the not-so-distant past, last night’s awards provided a much-needed respite and celebration of old reliables like Entertainment Tonight and CBS Sunday Morning, who were each honored with a Daytime Emmy in Outstanding Entertainment News Program and Outstanding Morning News program, respectively. 

5. On Gratitude. It was really moving to see mega-primetime star Shemar Moore give props to his daytime roots on the red carpet: “I was born and raised on ‘Y&R.’ None of this would be possible without it.” And, of course, the honoree of the evening, Lifetime Achievement winner Betty White, had the last laugh: “It is such a privilege to still be in this business,” she said. “It is such fun...thank you from the bottom of my heart.” 

Reach Staff Reporter Kristin Marguerite Doidge here and follow her on Twitter here.