General Hospital star Nancy Lee Grahn sent a bold political message at the 2025 Daytime Emmy Awards — both through fashion and in her acceptance speech.
On Friday, October 17, the 52nd Daytime Emmys were held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, California. Among the winners were Grahn, 69, who plays Alexis Davis on the long-running medical soap opera.
While walking the red carpet ahead of the awards ceremony, the actress rocked a white collared, button-up blouse with a shimmery skirt. She wore her hair half up for the event and a pink lip. For accessories, Grahn rocked dangling, metallic statement earrings, a metallic bracelet that spiraled around her wrist, and several rings.
The most striking part of her red-carpet look, however, was the silver clutch Grahn carried that read “Democracy Dies In Silence” in black lettering.
Nancy Lee Grahn at the 52nd Daytime Emmy Awards held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on October 17, 2025, in Pasadena, California. (Jesse Grant/Variety via Getty Images)
During the ceremony itself, Grahn won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Daytime Drama Series. She sent another political message during her acceptance speech.
“Along with this job, comes a literal soapbox, and my parents would be very disappointed in me if I didn’t use it right now to speak out for other people,” she told the audience before diving right in.
@paolo.presta Congratulations to General Hospital’s Nancy Lee Grahn on your Emmy win and THANK YOU for standing up and speaking out! #fyp ♬ [Raw recording] Record playback noise 01 (3 minutes) – Icy Light
“Our democracy is worth fighting for,” Grahn declared. “The people in it are worth caring about, caring about them, and whether you have a platform or not, now is the time, guys. Now is the time to show up, stand up, speak up for human decency. For democracy. Stand up and vote for it every chance you get.”
Friday marked Grahn’s second Daytime Emmy win in the lead actress category, as she also snagged the honor in 2017.
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