For a few solemn minutes during the 78th Emmy Awards on September 14, 2026, Hollywood stopped celebrating itself and began remembering the people it had lost.
As Noah Kahan performed Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” photographs of familiar actors, writers and television figures appeared on the screen. Catherine O’Hara, Rob Reiner and Dolly Parton were given especially prominent remembrances elsewhere in the ceremony, while the traditional In Memoriam montage honored many other members of the television community who had died during the previous year. (People.com)
But as the tribute ended, some viewers immediately noticed who they hadn’t seen.
Two names in particular stood out: Chuck Norris, the martial-arts icon whose Walker, Texas Ranger became a television staple, and Nicholas Brendon, who spent seven seasons playing Xander Harris on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Neither appeared in the televised In Memoriam montage. (Variety)
And in Norris’ case, someone who worked beside him for years wasn’t willing to quietly overlook it.
Chuck Norris Wasn’t Shown During the Televised Tribute
Norris died in March 2026 at the age of 86. Long before that, he had established himself as one of the most recognizable action stars of his generation, moving between martial arts, movies and television.
But for millions of television viewers, there was one role that defined him: Cordell Walker.
Walker, Texas Ranger premiered in 1993 and ultimately ran for eight seasons on CBS. Norris wasn’t simply a guest star or a performer remembered for a handful of television appearances. He was the face of a long-running network series.
That history made his absence particularly noticeable.
Variety reported that Norris was among several recognizable television figures who didn’t appear in the broadcast’s In Memoriam presentation. Nicholas Brendon, Patrick Muldoon, Daveigh Chase, Jaye P. Morgan and Grizz Chapman were among the other omissions noted after the ceremony. (Variety)
Norris, however, did receive recognition in the Television Academy’s broader online memorial, meaning the omission concerned the televised ceremony rather than the Academy’s entire memorial record. (Just Jared)
That distinction didn’t make one of his former colleagues feel much better.
Judson Mills Had an Emotional Reaction
Judson Mills joined Walker, Texas Ranger during its later years as Texas Ranger Francis Gage, working alongside Norris for two seasons and later returning for the television movie Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire.
After seeing Norris absent from the Emmy broadcast, Mills spoke publicly about his disappointment.
He described the omission to Variety as a “tragic mistake” and said his thoughts immediately went to Norris’ widow, Gena O’Kelley, the rest of his family and the fans who had followed him for decades. (Variety)
Mills didn’t portray Norris as someone who would have demanded recognition for himself. Quite the opposite.
He said he believed his former co-star would encourage people to forgive the oversight and described Norris as someone who didn’t believe everything had to be about him. But Mills also felt the absence carried a different weight for the people left behind.
His reaction ultimately came down to something very simple.
“It hurt my feelings for sure. He was a legend for God’s sake.” (Variety Australia)
For someone who had actually stood beside Norris on the set rather than simply watched him on television, the missing photograph wasn’t just another awards-show controversy.
It was personal.
Norris Was Far From the Only Name Viewers Missed
The discussion became considerably larger once viewers began comparing the televised montage with the stars who had died during the eligibility period.
One of the most talked-about omissions was Nicholas Brendon.
Brendon died in March 2026 at age 54. His television legacy was inseparable from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, where he played Xander Harris throughout all seven seasons of the enormously influential series. He later had a recurring role on Criminal Minds. (People.com)
What made his absence even more conspicuous was what happened elsewhere during the very same Emmy ceremony.
The Emmys had staged a Buffy reunion.
Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz appeared together onstage, marking Gellar’s first Emmy appearance in 27 years. The former co-stars acknowledged how difficult the previous two years had been for the Buffy family following the deaths of multiple cast members. (People.com)
And yet Brendon’s photograph and name didn’t appear during the televised In Memoriam montage.
Another late Buffy star, Anthony Head, was included. (TVLine)
For longtime viewers who remembered Buffy, Xander, Willow and Giles growing up together onscreen, the contrast was difficult to miss.
The “Buffy” Cast Had Already Endured Several Losses
Part of what made the reunion unusually emotional was how much had changed since audiences last saw many of these performers together.
Michelle Trachtenberg, who played Buffy’s younger sister Dawn Summers, died in February 2025 at 39. Nicholas Brendon died the following year, and Anthony Head, beloved for playing Buffy’s mentor Rupert Giles, also died in 2026. (People.com)
Standing together at the Emmys, Gellar and Boreanaz acknowledged that painful reality.
Their appearance wasn’t technically the ceremony’s In Memoriam segment, but it nevertheless became its own small remembrance of the people who had been part of the show’s history.
That made Brendon’s later absence from the official televised montage all the more striking to viewers.
There Were Other Surprising Omissions
As viewers continued examining the tribute, the list grew.
Daveigh Chase, remembered for television work that included Big Love and voice roles in the Lilo & Stitch franchise, wasn’t featured. Neither was Patrick Muldoon, whose television career included Days of Our Lives and Melrose Place. Longtime voice performers Peter Cullen and Tom Kane were also absent from the broadcast, although Cullen’s August 26 death came one day after the Academy’s stated August 25 cutoff. (TVLine)
Robert Redford was another conspicuous absence.
Although remembered primarily as one of America’s great movie stars, Redford began his career with extensive television work, appearing in programs including The Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. He was also connected to AMC’s Dark Winds as an executive producer. (EW.com)
There was also The Wire actor James Ransone.
His widow, Jamie “Skipper” McPhee, publicly criticized the Academy after realizing her husband had not been acknowledged during the broadcast.
She emphasized his work and talent and said she was deeply disappointed by the omission. (EW.com)
Suddenly, the conversation wasn’t about one missing star anymore.
It was about how an awards ceremony decides whom millions of viewers get to see remembered.
Why Doesn’t Everyone Appear on Television?
There is an important distinction between being absent from the Emmy broadcast and being completely excluded by the Television Academy.
The Academy maintains a much larger searchable online In Memoriam collection. Many people whose names weren’t shown during the telecast — including Norris and Brendon — appear there. (Just Jared)
The Academy’s own description also makes clear that the televised segments feature only some of those who died during its designated memorial period, while its online listing is more comprehensive. (TVLine)
Time is inevitably part of the problem.
An awards broadcast has only a limited number of minutes available for its memorial, while the number of actors, directors, producers, writers, craftspeople and executives who contributed to television can be enormous in any given year.
That practical reality explains how omissions happen.
It doesn’t necessarily make them easier for families, colleagues or fans to watch.
The Ceremony Gave Several Stars Individual Farewells
The contrast was especially noticeable because some losses received much more extensive recognition.
Catherine O’Hara was remembered by people who had played her children onscreen, including Macaulay Culkin, Dan Levy and Annie Murphy.
Jamie Lee Curtis delivered an emotional remembrance of Rob Reiner.
Dolly Parton received a separate tribute introduced by her Steel Magnolias co-star Sally Field, while Reba McEntire performed Parton’s “Appalachian Memories.” (TVLine)
These weren’t simply photographs appearing for a few seconds.
They were deeply personal farewells built around relationships.
That difference inevitably made every recognizable face missing from the montage more noticeable.
For Chuck Norris’ Co-Star, It Came Down to the Man He Remembered
Awards ceremonies eventually end. The lights disappear, the stage is dismantled and the conversations move somewhere else.
But Mills’ response offered a reminder of why these few minutes of television can matter so much.
For audiences, Chuck Norris was Cordell Walker. He was the seemingly indestructible action hero, the martial artist and eventually the subject of an entire generation of internet jokes about his superhuman abilities.
For the people who actually knew him, there was another Chuck Norris.
Mills remembered a colleague who didn’t need everything to revolve around him. That may be precisely why his former co-star felt compelled to speak when Norris wasn’t there on the screen.
The Television Academy does remember Norris in its permanent online memorial. (Just Jared)
But on the night when television gathered to say goodbye to the people it had lost, viewers never saw his face during the televised In Memoriam montage.
And Judson Mills wanted people to know that, for those who loved and worked with him, his absence was noticed.
For more Emmys buzz, see why people are talking about the stars chosen to honor Dolly Parton and how Taylor Swift’s animated conversation with Tom Cruise had fans talking too.
