The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has apologized for an error made during the 48th annual Daytime Emmys‘ In Memoriam segment Friday.
During the telecast, the Academy included an incorrect picture while attempting to pay tribute to The Young and the Restless actress Marguerite Ray, who passed away in November 2020 (see video below). Instead, the segment included a photograph of Veronica Redd, the actress who took over the role of Mamie Johnson after Ray’s exit. (Mamie was Y&R‘s first regular African American character, whom Ray played from 1980 to 1990.)
“We deeply regret this error and intend to re-edit the sequence for subsequent digital releases once a replacement image can be appropriately licensed,” the Emmys wrote as part of a series of tweets on Saturday. “We sincerely apologize to the Ray family — as well as to Veronica Redd, whose image was inadvertently used instead. Each of these Daytime icons deserved better from our Academy.”
According to sources, the Academy is also trying to track down the appropriate Ray family contact in order to further extend its regrets.
Elsewhere in Friday’s ceremony, ABC’s General Hospital led the soap opera pack with six total wins, including for Outstanding Drama Series. Among the other sudsers, NBC’s Days of Our Lives and CBS’ The Young and the Restless each picked up a pair of statuettes, while The Bold and the Beautiful nabbed one.
On the talk show front, The Kelly Clarkson Show collected three awards on Friday, including for its eponymous host. Also of note, the late Alex Trebek and Larry King both were posthumously honored in their respective categories, Outstanding Game Show Host and Informative Talk Show Host.
View the full In Memoriam segment below. (The photo snafu occurs at 1:22.)