Thorsten Kaye Journey from Award Show Skeptic to 2024 Daytime Emmys Winner

The 51st Daytime Emmys have announced the winner for best actor. On Friday June 7 Thorsten Kaye took home the award for Outstanding Lead Performance in a Daytime drama series. He won the award for his role as Ridge Forrester in the popular show The Bold and the Beautiful.

As Thorsten Kaye walked to the stage to accept his award he made sure to thank not only his fellow cast members. But also his family who supported him every step of the way.

I have to be very honest, I don’t like award shows, Kaye said with a shrug. Then, with a smile, he joked, I didn’t like award shows until tonight. Now they make perfect sense.

“The other thing that doesn’t make sense is thinking anyone could do this alone. We can’t. You need a great boss who listens to you, a cast that tolerates you,” he continued. “You need a whole village of people who agree not to let you fail, especially not tonight. I have all of that, so thank you.”

Along with his professional support system, Kaye gave a special thanks to his loved ones.

“I have Marlowe and McKenna — being your dad is the greatest honor of my life,” he said, as the camera showed his daughter McKenna wiping away tears. Kaye then honored his wife, adding, “Susan, thank you for these beautiful kids and everything you sacrificed. It did not go unnoticed. Thank you. Honey, I love you.”

The category filled with actors from CBS shows. The nominees included Eric Braeden from The Young and the Restless, Thorsten Kaye, Scott Clifton and John McCook from The Bold and the Beautiful and Eric Martsolf from Days of Our Lives.

The Young and the Restless created by the late William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell tells the story of the residents of the fictional Genoa City. Since it first aired in March 1973, the series featured over 350 cast members.

Braeden first appeared as the charming but stubborn Victor Newman in 1980. Even he has on the long running series for over 40 years, the actor told people he has no plans to leave the soap opera anytime.

I feel strong loyalty to The Young and the Restless to Victor and to the audience who supported us for all these years, he explained. And I plan to continue as long as I am able.

I have always searched for meaning in acting, but I have come to realize that the heart of what we do is to entertain to bring joy to people Braeden added.
His last win was in 1998. He has been nominated nine other times.

The Bold and the Beautiful, which first aired in 1987, is the sister show to The Young and the Restless and also created by the Bells for CBS. Although actors have moved between the two series, The Bold and the Beautiful is based in Los Angeles and focuses on the Forrester family and their high-fashion empire.

McCook who plays the role of family patriarch Eric Forrester holds the record as the soap opera’s longest running male actor. Which have been part of the show since it began. Over the years he earned four Daytime Emmy nominations and won the award in 2022.

The Bold and the Beautiful third nomination for lead actor was Scott Clifton.

Clifton joined the soap in 2010 was taking on the role of William “Liam” Spencer III. Over the years he earned nine Daytime Emmy nominations and secured three wins. In a remarkable achievement in 2017 he made history as the first male actor to win Daytime Emmys in all three performance categories younger, supporting, and lead roles.

The final nominee completing the lineup is Martsolf, known for his role as Brady Black on Days of Our Lives.

He first appeared on the enduring soap in 2008. In 2014, he clinched his inaugural Daytime Emmy for supporting actor and received another nomination for the same award in 2019.

Throughout his career, Martsolf has gained fame as a certified “soap hunk,” often appearing shirtless in his portrayal of Black. In a cover story for Playgirl’s April digital issue, the actor explained why having strong acting skills is just as crucial as maintaining a certain physique in soap operas.

“At the end of the day, you can’t control how people perceive you or what they think,” he stated. “The best daytime actors have depth both inside and out. Succeeding in the soap opera industry demands understanding your character and having a strong work ethic. It’s not a career path suited for everyone.”

The Daytime Emmy Awards will be broadcast live on Friday, June 7, at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+.