NATAS Announces Melody Thomas Scott, Edward J. Scott & Lidia Bastianich To Receive Lifetime Achievement Honors at 51st Daytime Emmy® Awards

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) has announced that Daytime Emmy® Award nominated and multi-award-winning actress Melody Thomas Scott, Daytime Emmy® winning producer Edward J. Scott and public television host and cookbook author Lidia Bastianich will be the Lifetime Achievement Honorees at the 51st Annual Daytime Emmy® Awards.  The honors will be presented in person on June 7 and June 8 at the historic Westin Bonaventure Los Angeles. The 51st Annual Daytime Emmy® Awards will broadcast LIVE Friday, June 7 (8 – 10 PM, ET/delayed PT) on the CBS Television Network and available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+*.

Adam Sharp, President and CEO, NATAS said, “We’ve long wanted to honor the legendary daytime duo of Melody Thomas Scott and her husband Edward J. Scott. With a combined 93  years of contributions to our community, they are true institutions in the world of Daytime television. In addition, Lidia Bastianich’s astounding success combines her love of cooking while simultaneously entertaining millions each day. It is an honor for us to say ‘grazie’ for the many fine meals borne from her TV kitchen and cookbook pages.” 

Melody Thomas Scott and Edward J. Scott said, “We are honored and humbled to receive this recognition from NATAS. Throughout our decades-long careers in front of and behind the cameras, we have had the opportunity to work not only with each other, but also with an incredibly talented pool of people who excel in their crafts and are passionate about the art we create in daytime television. We are grateful to have worked side by side with them and to be included with such esteemed recipients who have made their mark in our industry. We look forward to spending another wonderful evening celebrating the daytime community!“

Lidia Bastianich said, “It is a tremendous honor to be recognized and receive the Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award for having shared my passion for food with TV audiences for over 25 years. Cooking together and sharing food remain a common denominator of all cultures. Food nurtures, it connects diverse people, and it brings families, friends, and strangers together. There is no better place to be on this earth, especially in these trying times, than sharing food at a table with others. That simple idea has been the basis of my life’s work. Hence, as I say in my shows, “Tutti a Tavola a Mangiare!” Mille Grazie to NATAS for this honor.”

Melody Thomas Scott stars as Nikki Newman on “The Young and The Restless.” She recently celebrated 45 years in the role, having joined the show in February 1979. Scott’s character has matured from the girl from the wrong side of the tracks to the serial’s luminous and resourceful leading lady.  After garnering a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in 1999, she went on to win in the same category for the Soap Opera Digest Award in 2001 and received four Soap Opera Update Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress (1992, 1993, 1995 and 1996). Scott began her career at age three. She studied singing, tap dancing, ballet and jazz and became one of the world-famous “Meglin Kiddies,” performing in USO shows as she started booking national commercials and guest spots on such series as “Wagon Train,” “My Three Sons,” “Ironside” and a recurring role on “The Waltons.”  Scott made her motion picture debut at age eight when she was cast by Alfred Hitchcock as the young Tippi Hedren in the thriller “Marnie.”  She has co-starred with legendary actors Clint Eastwood, Geraldine Page, John Wayne and Kirk Douglas. Scott has worked on stage and in numerous television shows and  was the subject of Lifetime Television’s “Intimate Portrait.” As a lifelong fan of “I Love Lucy,” Scott served as a founding member of the Board of Directors for the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center in Jamestown, N.Y., which is committed to preserving the legacy of the great comedienne. In 2020, 

Scott released her memoir, “Always Young and Restless.” Married since 1985 to Edward J. Scott, the couple have three daughters and five grandchildren.   

Edward J. Scott is a six-time Daytime Emmy® Award-winning producer who has played a pivotal role in the historic development of the soap opera genre for nearly five decades. Scott is currently supervising producer for ”The Bold and the Beautiful,” the #2-rated daytime drama in the U.S. and the most-watched daily drama in the world, which is nominated for 12 Daytime Emmy Awards this year. Scott began his association with The Bell Family and Bell-Phillip Television Productions when he joined “The Young and The Restless” as an associate producer in 1976. He quickly moved up the ranks and served as the show’s executive producer for decades. Scott’s legendary 48-year producing partnership and creative collaboration with “The Young and The Restless” and “The Bold and the Beautiful” creators, the late William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell, and their son, Bradley P. Bell, has helped create the two most popular daily American television series. Today, both daytime dramas are syndicated internationally.  Before joining “B&B” Scott was executive producer for the NBC daytime drama “Days of Our Lives.” Born and raised in Santa Monica, California, Scott earned a B.A from California State University at Northridge with a double major of anthropology and broadcasting journalism. He has been married since 1985 to actress and author Melody Thomas Scott. The couple have three daughters and five grandchildren.

Lidia Bastianich is a Daytime Emmy® award-winning public television host, best‐selling cookbook author, successful restaurateur, celebrated chef and owner of a flourishing food and entertainment business. She has created Daytime Emmy® Award-winning cooking programs over the last 25 years, including “Lidia’s Kitchen,” “Lidia’s Family Table,” “Lidia’s Italy” and “Lidia’s Italy In America, as well as the three-time James Beard Award-winning series “Lidia Celebrates America.” Along with her television series, Bastianich has published numerous cookbooks, co-authored with her daughter Tanya. Her most recent book is Lidia’s From Our Family Table to Yours which was released in October 2023, a companion to her new 26-part public television series, ”Lidia’s Kitchen.” She is also the author of the English and Italian version of her memoir: My American Dream: A Life of Love, Family, and Food. Together with Tanya and son-in-law Corrado, she also developed a line of all-natural sauces called LIDIA’S. In March 2023, she released a line of cookware with HSN. Bastianich is a member of Les Dames D’Escoffier and founding member of Women Chefs and Restaurateurs, two non-profit organizations of women leaders in the food and hospitality industries. She is also a champion for the United Nations Association of the United States of America’s Adopt-A-Future program, in support of refugee education. Among the numerous awards and accolades Bastianich has earned include seven James Beard Awards (Outstanding Chef, Television Food Show, Best Chefs in America, Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America, Specials 2016, Special 2017 and 2018) and two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Culinary Host (2013 and 2018). In 2022 Bastianich received the Silver Award from APT for 25 years on public television.

The 51st Annual Daytime Emmy® Awards is produced by NATAS and Associated Television International (ATI), which produced Daytime Emmy Award ceremonies on The CW in 2009 and on CBS in 2010, 2011, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023. Adam Sharp and Lisa Armstrong are executive producers from NATAS, while David McKenzie is executive producer from ATI.

NATAS celebrates excellence in TV through various prestigious awards programs, including Children’s & Family Emmys, Sports Emmys, Technology and Engineering Emmy Awards, News and Documentary Emmy Awards, Primetime Emmy Awards, and its renowned Daytime Emmys competition. This showcases its ability to adapt to the evolving television industry and remain at the forefront of the awards competition landscape.

About The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) is a service organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of television and the promotion of creative leadership for artistic, educational and technical achievements within the television industry. It recognizes excellence in television with the coveted Emmy Awards for News & Documentary, Sports, Daytime, and Children’s & Family programming, as well as achievements in television Technology & Engineering. NATAS membership consists of more than 18,000 broadcast and media professionals represented in 19 regional chapters across the country. Beyond awards, NATAS has extensive educational programs including regional student television and its Student Award for Excellence and the National Student Production Awards for outstanding journalistic work by high school students, as well as scholarships, publications and major activities for both industry professionals and the viewing public.

*Paramount+ Premium subscribers will have access to stream live via the live feed of their local CBS affiliate on the service as well as on-demand. Essential-tier subscribers will have access on-demand the day after the special airs.