Susan Lucci is setting the record straight on her 18 consecutive Daytime Emmy Award losses.
“I am frequently asked how I felt not to win the Emmy all those years? That’s easy! Not great,” Lucci, 79, wrote in her La Lucci memoir, released on Tuesday, February 3. “After my ninth year of not hearing my name called for Best Actress, I pretty much stopped hearing the name that was called when the envelope was opened.”
Lucci said her “hearing went numb” when she wasn’t given the award.
“I listened, but I didn’t hear,” she explained. “I was always happy for my colleagues, who were also doing wonderful work, but I think it was more of a self-protective reaction so I wouldn’t feel bad or get my hopes up too much.”
The All My Children actress also made one thing very clear about her reaction to the losses after the awards show ended.
“Despite any rumors to the contrary, there were never any behind-the-scenes meltdowns after the show or moments of breaking things because I hadn’t been awarded the Emmy,” she clarified.
Instead, Lucci focused on her two kids — Liza Huber, now 50, and Andreas Huber, now 36 — who were “waiting for me at home with lots of hugs and kisses” plus “homemade signs, balloons, handwritten notes, poems, and freshly baked chocolate cake.” (Lucci shares both kids with late husband Helmut Huber.)
“Any one of these was more valuable than that elusive Emmy!” Lucci quipped. “Having said that, winning felt pretty darn good — winning is definitely better!”
Lucci was nominated for a Daytime Emmy in the Outstanding Lead Actress category 18 years in a row for her role as Erica Kane on All My Children. Her 19th nomination in 1999 brought home a win.
“Thank you so very much, I truly never believed that this would happen,” Lucci started her speech at the time. “First of all, I want to thank each and every one of you in this room. This is a room full of such talented hardworking people, and the fact that you have thought that my work was worthy of notice 19 times is something that I will treasure always.”
She thanked her family, teachers and creator of All My Children, Agnes Nixon.
“I have so many people to thank and they’re telling me to wrap it up,” Lucci said, before going on to thank her husband and children. “To the fans, I was only supposed to be on every other Tuesday. But thanks to you, I’m here and I promise I will try my best never to let you down.”
Lucci concluded, “I’m going back to that studio on Monday and I’m going to play Erica Kane for all she’s worth.”
Lucci played Erica Kane for the entirety of All My Children’s run on ABC, from 1970 to 2011.
“The cancellation of our show was such a devastating outcome for so many, from our fans to our All My Children family. In a way, it felt like a horrible divorce — one I didn’t see coming or want,” Lucci wrote in La Lucci. “While rumors had been swirling for months about the impending cancellation, for the most part and at the time, I didn’t think they were true. I had that all wrong.”
La Lucci is out now.
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