Several familiar names were noticeably missing from the 2026 Emmys In Memoriam segment this year.
While the touching tribute during this year’s show honored late stars like Rob Reiner, Catherine O’Hara and Dolly Parton, others, including Daveigh Chase, Nicholas Brendon, Chuck Norris were snubbed.
Chase, who tragically died of AIDS with “chronic polysubstance use” listed as a secondary cause in June, had a lengthy television career as a child actor. She was just 35 when she passed.
She starred in “Lilo & Stitch: The Series,” and had notable appearances on hit shows like “Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” “Charmed,” “The Practice,” “ER,” and more.
Chase’s manager and friend Johnny Ryan slammed the Television Academy over the snub, telling TMZ, “These f—king Emmys snubbed Daveigh from the In Memoriam. Awful.”
Nicholas Brendon was also noticeably missing from the segment, as his former “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” castmates Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz reunited at the awards ceremony to celebrate the show’s 30th anniversary.
During her speech, Gellar acknowledged that “it has been a tough two years for our beloved cast and crew, and we feel very lucky to have known and worked with such amazing people.”
The actress was referring to the loss of Brendon at age 54 and their other late co-star Anthony Head, without naming them.
However, Brendon, who died of atherosclerotic and hypertensive cardiovascular disease in March, was not recognized in the In Memoriam segment, despite appearing on all seven seasons of the Emmy-winning show.
Many fans also noticed the absence of Chuck Norris in the segment.
The actor had a decades-long TV career and was most known for his action series “Walker, Texas Ranger,” which ran for 196 episodes from 1993 to 2001.
Norris died in March following a medical emergency. He was 86.
Another big name noticeably missing was Robert Redford, who died in September 2025 at 89.
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Despite being know as a major film star, Redford began his acting career in television in the 1950s and 1960s. He appeared on several popular shows including, “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” “The Twilight Zone,” and “Perry Mason.”
Although he was snubbed at the Emmys, the legendary actor was honored at the 2026 Oscars.
The Emmys did provide reasoning for all of the missing stars from this year’s show on their website, however.
“One of the most popular portions of each year’s Primetime Emmy Awards telecast is the In Memoriam segment, a moving video salute to notable television figures who passed away since the previous year’s ceremonies,” their statement read.
“Unfortunately, due to inevitable time limitations, the producers of the telecast are not able to include all of the worthy television professionals who have passed away from year to year.”
In turn, the Television Academy created an In Memoriam database on its website where fans can access late stars’ obituaries.
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