Jaclyn Smith, Kate Jackson and Cheryl Ladd came to the 2026 Emmy Awards to celebrate 50 years of Charlie’s Angels. Their missing costar quickly became the center of the reunion.
The three actresses walked onto the Peacock Theater stage on September 14 to celebrate the series before presenting Outstanding Drama Series. Before opening the envelope, they turned the anniversary appearance into a tribute to Farrah Fawcett, Variety reported.
Smith acknowledged the friend who could not be standing beside them, while Jackson described Fawcett as “the shiniest angel of all.” Ladd followed with a lighter reminder of Fawcett’s extraordinary pop-culture reach, joking that her iconic poster still lived in “the minds, and the garages, of many a man.”
The segment ended with Smith, Jackson and Ladd presenting the night’s Outstanding Drama Series Emmy to The Pitt. Twenty years earlier, the same awards show had brought Smith, Jackson and Fawcett together for a very different tribute.
Farrah Fawcett Became the Fourth Angel on Stage
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Smith opened the remembrance by acknowledging “someone not standing with us tonight” and naming her friend Fawcett. She said the actress was still present in everyone’s collective memory, adding that “charisma doesn’t need a second season.”
Jackson followed by recalling the scale of the affection that surrounded Fawcett. “Farrah was the shiniest angel of all,” she said, adding that millions of people around the world had loved her and had never forgotten her.
Fawcett played Jill Munroe when Charlie’s Angels premiered in 1976 alongside Jackson’s Sabrina Duncan and Smith’s Kelly Garrett. She left as a regular after the first season, though she later returned for guest appearances. Ladd joined in Season 2 as Jill’s younger sister, Kris Munroe, and remained through the series finale. Fawcett died in 2009 at age 62.
The Emmy Stage Had Reunited the Original Angels Before
At the 58th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2006, Smith, Jackson and Fawcett reunited to honor Charlie’s Angels executive producer Aaron Spelling following his death. The Television Academy still hosts footage of that appearance.
Smith has recalled that the teleprompter went blank when it was her turn to speak. She had memorized her portion well enough to continue and later wrote that the technical problem ultimately helped her speak more naturally and connect with the audience.
The Angels Have Spent 2026 Celebrating 50 Years Together
On April 6, all three took part in the PaleyFest LA Charlie’s Angels 50th Anniversary Celebration at the Dolby Theatre, where they looked back on the series, their friendship and its legacy.
The original ABC series ran for five seasons. Smith stayed for the entire run, Jackson departed after Season 3 and Ladd remained from her Season 2 arrival through the finale. The show earned four Emmy nominations during its original run, including two Lead Actress in a Drama Series nominations for Jackson.
The anniversary has also coincided with the release of Smith’s memoir, I Once Knew a Guy Named Charlie, published September 8. The book revisits the making of the series, her relationships with Fawcett, Jackson and Ladd, and the scale of fame that followed the show’s success. Charlie’s Angels reaches the exact 50th anniversary of its ABC series premiere on September 22.