The 2026 Emmys’ in Memoriam Segment Left More Big Names Out than Fans Expected Sparking Backlash

Every awards season eventually arrives at the same emotional gut check: the In Memoriam segment. It’s the moment where an otherwise celebratory night pauses to remember the people the industry lost, and it rarely goes by without some controversy attached.

This year’s Emmy Awards were no exception. The telecast delivered several genuinely moving tributes, including an extended segment honoring Catherine O’Hara led by her “Schitt’s Creek” co-stars Annie Murphy and Dan Levy alongside “Home Alone” co-star Macaulay Culkin, plus standalone moments for Dolly Parton and Rob Reiner.

But as the broadcast wound down, viewers quickly noticed who wasn’t on screen. Robert Redford and ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ actor Nicholas Brendon were both left out of the official In Memoriam segment, a surprising omission given how much television history both men were tied to.

Noah Kahan performed during In Memoriam #Emmys pic.twitter.com/M1x1Vh1P23

— Enjoy The Music (@EnjoyTheMusic9) September 15, 2026

Brendon’s absence stung in a particular way. Earlier in the ceremony, “Buffy” alums Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz presented an award together and alluded to recent losses within their cast, noting it had been “a tough two years for our beloved cast and crew,” a line that referenced both Brendon’s death and that of former co-star Michelle Trachtenberg without naming either of them directly.

Despite that on-air nod, Brendon’s name never actually appeared during the formal tribute reel, a gap that fans following along on social media were quick to flag in real time. Redford’s exclusion carried its own weight given his decades of影响 across film and television, and the fact that his death had already been honored just months earlier at the Oscars.

Redford and Brendon weren’t the only notable omissions. Fans and outlets alike also pointed to the absence of “Walker, Texas Ranger” star Chuck Norris, “Days of Our Lives” and “Starship Troopers” actor Patrick Muldoon, “The Gong Show” panelist Jaye P. Morgan, “The Ring” actress Daveigh Chase, and “30 Rock” performer Grizz Chapman.

Chuck Norris’s absence was especially notable given the scale of his television footprint. “Walker, Texas Ranger” ran for 196 episodes between 1993 and 2001, making his exclusion one of the more conspicuous gaps in the segment for longtime TV viewers.

To its credit, the Emmys’ tribute did manage to fold in some very recent losses, including Tim Curry, Hayden Panettiere, and even legendary costume designer Bob Mackie, who died the same day as the ceremony itself. Noah Kahan performed a rendition of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” as the names of the honored scrolled across the screen, giving the segment its emotional backbone.

The recurring frustration around In Memoriam segments isn’t unique to the Emmys. Time constraints during a live broadcast mean producers are forced to make difficult calls about who gets a moment on screen and who doesn’t, and those decisions almost always draw scrutiny once the credits roll.

What makes this year’s exclusions sting more than usual is the caliber of names involved. Whether it’s a Hollywood legend like Redford or a beloved genre television face like Brendon, missing figures with that level of cultural footprint tends to overshadow the tributes that did make the cut, however well executed they were.

For a night built around celebrating television’s best, the conversation afterward often ends up centered just as much on who was forgotten. It’s a tension the Emmys, like most awards shows, still hasn’t figured out how to fully resolve.

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