The 2026 Daytime Emmys are October 30, & Young & the Restless landed a Guest Performance nomination for Ian Ward (Ray Wise). I’ll be honest. I can’t stand this guy.
Ray Wise Is Really Good at Being Gross
Ian Ward is disgusting. Cult leader, master manipulator & the man who made Mariah Copeland (Camryn Grimes) miserable for years. When he slithered back into Genoa City to go after the Newmans, my skin crawled every time he was on screen.
I guess that’s the point. Ray Wise plays creepy so well I want a shower after his scenes. If there were an Emmy for Most Likely to Make Fans Change the Channel, he’d be a lock.
Dead Cameron Didn’t Win, So How Does Ian?
Last year, Cameron Kirsten (Linden Ashby) was nominated in this same category. Dead Cameron was fabulous: unhinged, funny & so much fun to watch, despite being dead & all. He lost. Young & the Restless went home with one Emmy, & it wasn’t his. At least it stayed in the family. Linden Ashby’s real-life wife won for playing Diane Jenkins (Susan Walters).
So forgive me if I’m not holding my breath. If Dead Cameron couldn’t win Guest Performance, I don’t see Ian pulling it off.
Spoiler Alert: Ian Isn’t Even Dead
Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) shot Ian at the Newman ranch, & Y&R wanted us to think that was the end of him. After “his body” was loaded up, Ian opened his eyes. Ah, HELLO?
So Ian is alive somewhere. What did Y&R do with that? They brought him back as a figment of Mariah’s imagination, popping up in her head while she worked through her most recent trauma. Ian in a priest collar haunting Mariah is creepy, sure. Still, what a waste.
If Ian is alive, bring him back for real. Let him come after the Newmans again. Let Victor find out his bullet didn’t do the job. That’s a storyline. A hallucination is a cop-out.
Related: Y&R’s Dead Cameron is WAY More Fun Than Alive Cameron
Will Ian Win?
Probably not, & I’m fine with that. Ray Wise deserves credit for making me hate Ian this much. I’d still rather see Dead Cameron get a do-over.
Tomorrow, #7: Sean Dominic as Nate Hastings.
Should Ian Ward stay dead, stay in Mariah’s head or come back for real? It’s not my first day watching Y&R & it isn’t yours either. What’s your take?
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