The 2026 Emmy Awards made room for extensive remembrances of some of television’s biggest losses, but several familiar faces never appeared during the televised In Memoriam montage.
Chuck Norris, Nicholas Brendon, Daveigh Chase, Peter Cullen and Tom Kane were among the names missing from the September 14 broadcast, according to TMZ. Other coverage also identified omissions including Robert Redford, Patrick Muldoon, Grizz Chapman and Jaye P. Morgan.
The Academy has long explained that time limits prevent the televised segments from acknowledging every television professional who died during the year, while its online In Memoriam database preserves a much larger record.
Brendon’s absence was particularly conspicuous because the ceremony separately celebrated Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz appeared together onstage and acknowledged the difficult stretch of losses the show’s cast and crew had endured.
Nicholas Brendon Was Missing on a Night That Celebrated ‘Buffy’
Sarah Michelle Gellar reunites with her “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” co-star David Boreanaz at the #Emmys as they pay tribute to the late Michelle Trachtenberg and Nicholas Brendon.
(via NBC/EMMYS) pic.twitter.com/e055LPTlxV
— Variety (@Variety) September 15, 2026
Brendon died on March 20 at age 54. He played Xander Harris throughout all seven seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and also appeared on television in Criminal Minds and Kitchen Confidential.
Hours before the In Memoriam portion of Monday’s telecast, Gellar and Boreanaz reunited as part of the show’s Buffy celebration. Gellar described the previous two years as difficult for the show’s extended family as the pair acknowledged recent losses including Brendon, Michelle Trachtenberg and Anthony Head.
Brendon’s name was not shown during the later montage, while Head was among those included. Brendon’s death had already drawn public tributes from Gellar, Boreanaz and Alyson Hannigan in March, and the Television Academy maintains an individual page documenting his television career.
Chuck Norris and Several Major Voice Actors Were Also Absent
Norris, who died March 19, had one of the most recognizable television résumés among the omitted performers. He was best known on television as Cordell Walker on Walker, Texas Ranger, which ran from 1993 to 2001, and also appeared in projects including Hawaii Five-0 and Sons of Thunder.
Daveigh Chase was another omission. Although she was widely known for films including The Ring and for voicing Lilo in Lilo & Stitch, her television credits included Big Love, Oliver Beene, ER, Charmed and Lilo & Stitch: The Series. Her manager and friend Johnny Ryan criticized the omission after the ceremony.
Two major animation voices were also absent from the primetime montage. Peter Cullen spent decades voicing Optimus Prime across Transformers television projects, while Tom Kane’s television work included Professor Utonium on The Powerpuff Girls and Yoda on Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
Variety additionally identified Days of Our Lives and Melrose Place actor Patrick Muldoon, 30 Rock performer Grizz Chapman and longtime television personality Jaye P. Morgan among the people not shown during the broadcast.
The Academy’s Online Memorial Is Much Larger Than the TV Segment
Catherine O’Hara is honored by Macaulay Culkin, Annie Murphy and Dan Levy in an emotional tribute at the #Emmys: “She was our mama.”
(via NBC/EMMYS) pic.twitter.com/jeTsKMAG1n
— Variety (@Variety) September 15, 2026
The primetime In Memoriam featured Noah Kahan performing “Bridge Over Troubled Water” while images of late television figures appeared onstage. The program also devoted additional attention to several major losses, with Macaulay Culkin, Dan Levy and Annie Murphy remembering Catherine O’Hara and Jamie Lee Curtis closing the memorial with tributes to James Burrows and Rob Reiner.
Dolly Parton received a separate tribute during the ceremony from Sally Field and Reba McEntire. Other figures shown in the In Memoriam included Hayden Panettiere, Tim Curry, James Van Der Beek and Eric Dane.
Robert Redford was another conspicuous omission from the broadcast. He died on September 16, 2025, just two days after last year’s Primetime Emmys. Although best known for his film career, Redford began as a television actor, later produced television projects including Dark Winds and made an uncredited appearance in that show’s third season.
The Television Academy’s official database identifies Redford as a two-time Emmy nominee. The Academy has long said that only a limited number of names can fit into the few minutes available during its broadcasts, which is why its online In Memoriam database also preserves television professionals who never appear onscreen.