The 2026 Emmys’ In Memoriam tribute has drawn attention to several notable omissions, including television performers Chuck Norris, Daveigh Chase and Nicholas Brendon, as well as voice actors Peter Cullen and Tom Kane.
Norris, who died in March, built a decades-long television career and was best known for starring in all nine seasons of the action series Walker, Texas Ranger. His other television credits included The Goldbergs, Hawaii Five-0 and Sons of Thunder, while he also fronted the animated series Chuck Norris: Karate Commandos.
Chase’s omission was criticised by Johnny Ryan, her manager and friend. “These f***ing Emmys snubbed Daveigh from the In Memoriam. Awful,” he said.
Chase, who died this year, began working in television as a child and appeared in series including Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Charmed, The Practice, ER, Yes, Dear, That’s Life, Touched by an Angel, Inside Schwartz and The Guardian.
She was also widely recognised for voicing Lilo Pelekai in the Lilo & Stitch franchise and playing Samara Morgan in The Ring. Her television work, however, made her absence from the Emmy tribute particularly notable.
Brendon, who appeared in all 144 episodes of the seven-season drama Buffy the Vampire Slayer, was also missing from the segment.
Cullen was another prominent omission. His extensive television voice credits included The Smurfs, Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, Knight Rider, The Transformers, G.I. Joe, The Real Ghostbusters, The Jetsons and Transformers: Prime.
Kane, whose television work also spanned several decades, voiced characters in productions including Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Duckman, Spider-Man: The Animated Series, The Angry Beavers, The Powerpuff Girls, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Samurai Jack and Robot Chicken.
The In Memoriam segment is intended to recognise performers, creators and other television figures who died during the eligibility period. The ceremony did honour several major names, including Dolly Parton, Hayden Panettiere, Catherine O’Hara and Rob Reiner.
