‘The Bold and the Beautiful’ Stars Celebrate Lisa Yamada’s Historic Daytime Emmy Win
The Bold and the Beautiful star Lisa Yamada has officially made soap opera history. The actress, best known for her compelling portrayal of the complex villain Luna Nozawa, earned a standing ovation at the 52nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards, taking home the Best Emerging Talent award — a brand-new category that she now becomes the first to ever win.
A Groundbreaking Moment for Lisa Yamada
Yamada’s win is doubly significant: not only is she the inaugural recipient of the Best Emerging Talent award, but she is also the first performer of Asian descent to win a Daytime Emmy for acting in a network soap opera.
The emotional moment came as The Young and the Restless star Michelle Stafford and television host Ross Mathews announced her name. Yamada broke into tears, hugging her mother and co-star Christian Weissmann (Remy Pryce) before stepping onto the stage to accept her award.
“Thank you so much for this recognition. Acting has been my dream since I gained consciousness, and my dreams are coming true right now,” Yamada said through tears.
In her heartfelt speech, she thanked Bold and the Beautiful executive producer Brad Bell — calling him “the best boss” — as well as veteran star Don Diamont for his mentorship. She also shared a sweet moment of gratitude for her parents:
“Most importantly, I want to thank my mommy and my daddy. You sacrificed so much for me to pursue this silly dream of mine. I am so lucky to be your daughter. I love you so much.”
She ended her speech with laughter, joking about her “ugly crying” moment as the audience cheered.
View this post on Instagram
Love From the ‘Bold and Beautiful’ Family
After the ceremony, Yamada took to Instagram to reflect on her milestone win, expressing deep gratitude to her castmates and fans.
“To my @boldandbeautifulcbs family — thank you for changing my life. Thank you for creating a space where I can be vulnerable and pour my heart into every scene,” she wrote.
She also offered encouragement to her younger self and aspiring actors:
“To the late-night self-tapes, the tears over missed roles — this career is really hard. But I’d tell little Lisa, the one who cried herself to sleep dreaming of a moment like this: we did it, girl.”
Her co-stars flooded the comments section with love and pride:
-
Crew Morrow (Will Spencer): “You did THAT. And you’re so special, Lisa.”
-
Rebecca Budig (Taylor Hayes): “Lisa!!!! SO HAPPY FOR YOUUUUU!! CONGRATULATIONS!!”
-
Jacqueline MacInnes Wood (Steffy Forrester): “Yeeee!!!! So happy for YOU!!”
-
Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke Logan): “I am so happy for you!! Congrats!! Well deserved!”
-
Christian Weissmann (Remy Pryce): “MY STAR. MY EMMY WINNER. I LOVE YOU ALWAYS AND FOREVER. CONGRATULATIONS.”
-
Ashleigh Brewer (Ivy Forrester): “This is SO cool! Well deserved, you talented powerhouse you.”
-
Delon de Metz (Zende Forrester): “You deserved it, congrats!”
A Bright Future Ahead
Lisa Yamada’s victory not only celebrates her individual talent but also marks a turning point for representation in daytime television. Her emotionally rich portrayal of Luna — a character whose storylines have tackled obsession, redemption, and family legacy — has quickly made her one of the genre’s most talked-about rising stars.
With her Emmy now proudly in hand, Yamada’s future in the soap world looks brighter than ever.
“This moment belongs to every dreamer who ever thought they weren’t enough,” she wrote. “We are more than enough.”