Veteran soap opera star Susan Lucci has revisited one of the most unforgettable moments of her career: finally winning her first Daytime Emmy Award after an extraordinary 19-year losing streak that became legendary in television history.
The All My Children icon, who portrayed the glamorous and scheming Erica Kane from 1970 until the show ended in 2011, won the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 1999—on her 19th nomination.
Despite later accolades, Lucci says that first win remains deeply emotional and almost surreal.
Speaking to PEOPLE Magazine, the actress recalled the dramatic night, which took place at Madison Square Garden instead of the traditional Radio City Music Hall, which was undergoing renovations at the time.
“We were in the Garden that year,” Lucci said. “All the other times we had the Emmys, we were at Radio City Music Hall, but that year Radio City was being renovated. So we were in Madison Square Garden.”
When the presenter announced that a long-standing losing streak had finally ended, Lucci initially assumed the comment had nothing to do with her.
“It was May, and when he said the streak is over, I thought he was reporting on playoff game results—basketball, hockey,” she recalled. “I thought, ‘Isn’t that nice? He’s keeping everybody updated.’”
The realization that her name had actually been called didn’t sink in immediately.
“I wasn’t 100 percent sure that I heard my name,” Lucci said. “Rosie O’Donnell grabbed my evening bag, my husband picked me up by the elbow, and I whispered in his ear, ‘Are you sure?’”
Only after her husband reassured her did she make her way to the stage. “He said, ‘Yes, go on up there,’ and so I did,” she added.
Lucci’s long-awaited Emmy win remains one of the most iconic moments in awards show history, symbolizing perseverance and cementing her legacy as one of daytime television’s most enduring stars.