General Hospital’s Jonathan Jackson Talks Moving Through ‘Dark Times’ as He Wins Outstanding Supporting Actor at 2025 Daytime Emmys

Jonathan Jackson’s General Hospital performance has scored him another Emmy.

The soap actor, 43, took home the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Daytime Drama Series award at the 2025 Daytime Emmy Awards in Pasadena, California on Friday, Oct. 17. 

While accepting the trophy for his work as Lucky Spencer, Jackson quoted author Fyodor Dostoevsky: “Beauty will save the world.” He then recognized his wife, Elisa, and three children: Caleb, Adora and Titus.

“I have so many people to thank: my parents, my family,” Jackson said. “Anyone who has ever said a prayer for me, been there for me in dark times.”

Jackson continued his speech by saluting a few fellow actors, including General Hospital star Genie Francis. “I owe you a debt of love that I will never be able to repay,” he said.

Before Friday, Jackson had already won five Daytime Emmys over the years for his portrayal of Lucky. He has appeared in the role off and on since 1993. He officially rejoined in August 2024, but announced he was exiting the soap again in June to be with his family in Tennessee.

Over the summer, Jackson told TV Insider that he’ll always treasure his time in Port Charles, the fictional city where the soap opera is set, although “it’s always a bit overwhelming” to return. “There aren’t that many situations in life that you get to go and enter into this world where a lot has changed and a lot has stayed the same,” he said, noting the “amazing connections” he has with many of the crew and those who work on the show.

Jackson added, “And then on top of that, you have the character you’re playing that has this history, and you get to work with so many people again.”

Nominees for the category also included Blake Berris as Everett Lynch on Days of Our Lives, Gregory Harrison as Gregory Chase on General Hospital, Michael Graziadei as Daniel Romalotti on The Young and the Restless and Tajh Bellow as TJ Ashford on General Hospital.

This was Berris’ second nomination for a Daytime Emmy, 16 years after he was up for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series in 2009 for a different role also in Days of Our Lives. He played Nick Fallon from 2006-2009 and again from 2012 until the character was killed off in 2014. 

He later returned to the popular soap as his current character, Everett Lynch, a journalist with dissociative identity disorder and a sinister alter ego.

Harrison’s nomination came after his time on General Hospital concluded in 2024. It marks the 75-year-old’s first Emmy recognition for a soap opera role, in which he portrayed Gregory Chase, a man who suffered from ALS.

He opened up about the nomination in a recent interview with Soap Opera Digest, saying he was proud to be able to honor the character.

“I don’t think of acting as a competitive sport,” Harrison noted. “I never paid much attention to nominations or lack of them. I’m a process-oriented guy. I don’t do things in the hopes of a result as much as I love the process of every job I’ve had. I love Hollywood, I love show business, I love acting — but I love the day to day. I love developing characters. I guess there’s some validation in [this nomination], but I don’t do it for the validation. I do it because it’s so much fun for me!”

Graziadei, 46, is known for playing Daniel Romalotti in The Young and the Restless. He has been nominated twice before in the Younger Actor category in 2005 and 2006, and has held the role since 2004 with one brief hiatus.

He recently told Soap Opera Digest that the nomination has a special meaning for him all these years later. “This is the first one that… I’m not trying to take anything away from the other nominations, but this is the first one that kind of feels real,” Graziadei shared. “I know I’m in with some heavy hitters.”

Fellow nominee Bellow, 30, is the third actor to play TJ Ashford on General Hospital, although he has not appeared on the soap opera since December 2024. After receiving his nomination over the summer, he expressed his gratitude for all the support in a sweet Instagram video, although he didn’t say if he would be returning to the show.

A month prior, he shared a reaction post with another message for fans.

“YES! I’m deeply honored to be named a 2025 Daytime Emmy nominee, alongside such an inspiring group of storytellers,” he wrote. “Thank you @theemmys.tv for this incredible recognition, and my heartfelt thanks to the brilliant @generalhospitalabc writers for crafting the space that allows me to do this work that I love. Grateful beyond words. See you at the Emmys!”

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The 2025 Daytime Emmys are being presented in Los Angeles on Friday, October 17 and streaming live on watch.theemmys.tv and on the Emmys app.