General Hospital’s Laura Wright: 2025 Daytime Emmy Nominee for Outstanding Lead Actress

Laura Wright as General Hospital's Carly Spencer

Carly, Sonny, and Donna at the 2025 Nurse's Ball on General Hospital | Image: ABC

Daytime television has been abuzz after The National Academy for Television Arts & Sciences announced its nominees for the 52nd annual Daytime Emmys on July 9, 2025. This year’s ceremony is set to take place on October 17 in Pasadena, California.

Amongst the recognitions, General Hospital received a whopping 16 nominations for writing, directing, technical, acting, and Outstanding Drama Series. Laura Wright nabbed a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress for her portrayal of Carly Spencer. She has 7 previous nominations and 1 win for the same category.

After the nomination was announced, Wright took to her social media to thank everyone for their love and support. In her Instagram post, she wrote, “Shining bright and feeling so much love today. Thank you all for the congratulatory messages — your love and support mean so much to me — it’s such a fun ride. I’m honored to stand next to the incredible women in this category and so grateful to be a part of the Daytime world.”

Carly Spencer moved to Port Charles as Carly Roberts in 1996 and has been a force of nature ever since. She has had many detractors, but she is fiercely loyal to those she loves and cares about and never backs down from a challenge. Over the years, she has been in multiple accidents, held captive in a panic room while pregnant, kidnapped twice while pregnant, shot in the head during labor, held hostage in her hotel, in multiple fires, in a train accident, in Roselawn, in Ferncliff, poisoned, exposed to toxic pathogens, and through so much more!

2024 brought even more trauma, loss, and heartbreak for Carly, but it also brought her love, new friendships, and the return of her soulmate, Jason Morgan. She began the year in a relationship with Drew Cain and had to say goodbye to her beloved mother, Bobbie Spencer (Jacklyn Zeman). Zeman’s passing in real life made the episodes involving Bobbie’s death especially poignant. Laura Wright’s thoughtful performance in these episodes was a tribute to both a legendary General Hospital character as well as the late, beautiful Zeman.

Carly mourns the death of her mother, Bobbie Spencer on General Hospital | Image: ABC

March brought Carly the greatest surprise when her best friend, Jason (who had been presumed dead) returned. Her happiness was soon dampened when a jealous Drew unceremoniously broke up with and fired her from Crimson at the same time. Never one to wallow in misery for long, though, Carly picked up the pieces and moved on when Jason bought back the Metro Court for her.

For a minute, she and Jagger were bonding before things took a turn, and he arrested her on the trumped-up Rico charges he had been holding Jason hostage with. The case was finally dismissed in court, thanks to some secret behind-the-scenes assistance from Jack Brennan. Carly and Brennan’s relationship was a slow burn through 2024 and has finally started to heat up after the new year, but who knows what will happen when she finds out he recruited Josslyn into the WSB?

Laura Wright began her daytime soap opera career as Ally Rescott (Rescott Alden Bowman) on All My Children, Loving, and The City. After The City, she joined Guiding Light as Cassie Layne (Layne Winslow). Finally, she stepped into the role of Carly in 2005 and has owned it ever since.

Wright is a powerhouse who authentically embodies her character and never fails to meet the demands of every scene she is in. Her layered portrayal of Carly has helped to evolve and refine the complicated character into one of General Hospital’s most iconic roles. Whether you love Carly, hate her, or love to hate her, Laura Alice Wright’s powerful portrayal continues to make her character compelling and infinitely watchable.

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