Several well-known actors were left out of the televised In Memoriam segment at the "Emmy Awards 2026" ceremony. Among them were Chuck Norris, Robert Redford and Nicholas Brendon, the star of the series "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," reports E! News, writes UNN.
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Brendon, who died in March at the age of 54, did not appear in the televised tribute. At the same time, his former co-stars Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz separately mentioned the losses among the cast and crew of "Buffy" during the ceremony.
Chuck Norris, who died in March at the age of 86, and Robert Redford were also not included in the segment. The latter died in September 2025 at the age of 89 and, in addition to his film career, worked on television projects as an actor and producer.
The organizers' choices were criticized on social media
Among the other absences from the televised In Memoriam were "30 Rock" actor Grizz Chapman, voice actor Tom Kane, Patrick Muldoon from "Days of Our Lives," Daveigh Chase, Peter Cullen and Jay P. Morgan.
The Television Academy nevertheless included them in a broader list of deceased industry figures on its website. Academy chair Chris Abrego explained before the ceremony that, due to the large number of prominent television figures who had died over the course of the year, it was "impossible" to mention everyone directly on the broadcast.
During the ceremony itself, separate tributes were dedicated to Dolly Parton, Catherine O'Hara and Rob Reiner. The musical portion of In Memoriam was performed by Noah Kahan.