Emmys Put New Limit On Guest Actor Eligibility; Daytime Emmys Moved To Fall

Shall we call it The Claire Foy Rule...?

The Television Academy has announced a couple of rule changes for this year's Primetime Emmy Awards, including a new eligibility limit for wannabe Guest Performer contenders.

For the 2025 Emmys, "If a performer has been nominated or has won in a Lead or Supporting Performer category, the performer will not be eligible to submit in a Guest Performer category in a subsequent Emmy year for playing the same character role in the same series," the new rule reads. "They may, however, continue to enter in a Lead or Supporting category."

Meaning, once you have competed or won as a Lead or Supporting Actor — as Claire Foy did for early seasons of The Crown, where she played Queen Elizabeth II — you can never, ever submit yourself as a Guest Performer for the same role on the same series, as Foy did for Seasons 4 and 6.

Another rule change for the 2025 Emmys is a bit more "inside baseball"-y, but hey, here it is: Any director or directing team "may now enter multiple achievements per category if the achievements are for different programs." Previously, directors were allowed to submit only one entry per category; this change will allow the director/team to submit an episode from each of the programs they directed.

The Daytime Emmys, meanwhile, are on the move. That annual ceremony, which traditionally is held in June, will move to October effective this year. In turn, the News & Documentary Emmys, typically a fall affair, are moving to June, also as of this year.

The eligibility window for the Daytime Emmys (Jan. 1-Dec. 31) remains unchanged.