David Attenborough wins Daytime Emmy at 99, breaks record

Sir David Attenborough, at 99 years of age, became the oldest ever recipient of the Daytime Emmy award on Friday.

The renowned British broadcaster, biologist and natural historian won the award for Outstanding Daytime Personality in the Non-Daily category at the event that took place on October 17, 2025. The honour came for Netflix’s Secret Lives of Orangutans, where he is the host.

David Attenborough wins Daytime Emmy at 99

Sir David Attenborough bagged a win at this year's Daytime Emmy Award and made history as the oldest person to receive the award. He won the award Outstanding Daytime Personality--Non-Daily for the series, Secret Lives of Orangutans.

The record for the oldest recipient at the awards was previously held by Hollywood legend Dick Van Dyke. The actor had won a Daytime Emmy in 2024 for his guest performance in the famous daily soap, Days of Our Lives. He was 98 years of age when he received the award.

Sir David Attenborough was not present in person to attend the Daytime Emmy ceremony that took place at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in California. His documentary, Secret Lives of Orangutans, also bagged the Daytime Emmy for Single Camera Daytime Non-Fiction Program, which was an honour for the directorial team.

Secret Lives of Orangutans revolves around Eden, an eight year old female orangutan. Through her interactions with humans around her, the series aims to study and understand the nature of relationships between humans and orangutans. The series was shot in Sumatra's Suaq swamp forests for over two years.

Although the Daytime Emmy honoured Sir David Attenborough with a landmark win that was just another feather on the cap for the legendary broadcaster, there were other stars who shined bright on Friday night.

While The Young and the Restless led with the most nominations (19), General Hospital emerged as the big winner. They dominated with seven wins out of 16 nominations. Other personalities who made headlines at the Daytime Emmys include Drew Barrymore and Kelly Clarkson.

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