The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards are facing heavy criticism after multiple late television stars were excluded from the annual In Memoriam tribute, with viewers calling the segment “disgraceful” and “shameful.”
The ceremony, held Sunday, paid tribute to 20 industry figures including Catherine O’Hara, James Van Der Beek, and Hayden Panettiere. Macaulay Culkin, 44, took the stage to honor O’Hara, his on-screen mother from the “Home Alone” films, in a moment that drew emotional responses from the audience.
“We remember her as the forgetful mother, right? But I will never forget about her,” Culkin said. “There are all kinds of words I could use to describe Catherine. She was encouraging, she was warm, she was funny. But the word I think of is ‘mama’.”
“She wasn’t just a wife and mother to Bo and Matthew and Luke, she was my mom,” Culkin continued. “And by extension, she’s all of our mama. She may have forgotten me – twice – but we will always remember her.”
Noah Kahan performed Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” during the segment, which also honored Robert Duvall and Dolly Parton. Jamie Lee Curtis paid tribute to Rob Reiner, calling him “generous, kind, funny as hell and a friend to all.”
Yet the omissions quickly overshadowed the tributes that did air. Chuck Norris, who starred for nine seasons on “Walker, Texas Ranger,” was among the most prominent names left out.
“Chuck Norris didn’t make the In Memoriam, they made a mistake,” one viewer posted on X. Another added: “Chuck Norris did nine seasons of Walker, Texas Ranger which was a hit show at the time. He was basically on TV for the entirety of the 90s. They could’ve included him.”
Daveigh Chase, known for her voice work as Lilo in Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch” and her role in HBO’s “Big Love,” was also excluded. Her former manager spoke and called the decision “awful.”
Fans of Chase expressed particular anguish online. “Not having Daveigh Chase in the In Memoriam was really sad,” one user wrote. Another posted: “Daveigh Chase hurt the most. Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten. We did not live up to our promise and let you down.”
Nicholas Brendon, Peter Cullen, and Tom Kane were among other television veterans not mentioned during the broadcast. The breadth of exclusions prompted widespread complaints on social media from viewers who felt the segment failed to adequately honor the year’s losses in the television community.
The Emmy Awards In Memoriam segment traditionally acknowledges performers, creators, and behind-the-scenes professionals who died in the preceding year. The selection process has historically drawn scrutiny, with the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences facing similar complaints in past ceremonies about which names make the final cut for the televised tribute.