Every year, the Primetime Emmys honor those in the industry who passed away recently. And every year, the tribute leaves out at least one person who deserves to be remembered. Fans are furious that Chuck Norris and more legends were left out of the In Memoriam segment at the 2026 awards ceremony. Keep reading to find out how one of Chuck Norris’ co-stars reacted to the slight.
Dolly Parton, Catherine O’Hara Honored At Emmys
The world lost a lot of stars this year. In hindsight, the death of actress Catherine O’Hara in January set the tone for the coming months. Her on-screen children, Macaulay Culkin, Annie Murphy, and Dan Levy, paid a special tribute to the actress at the 2026 Primetime Emmys. Their tribute marked the beginning of the In Memoriam segment of the awards ceremony.
Noah Kahan sang Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” as the names and photographs of Hollywood actors, executives and others in the industry played on the screen behind him. Actress Hayden Panettiere and multi-talented icon Dolly Parton were honored. Jamie Lee Curtis paid special tribute to directors James Burrows and Rob Reiner.
The Emmys put as many names as they could in the ten-minute tribute. However, they missed some of the biggest names and fans are furious.
Fans Furious After Chuck Norris & More Legends Left Out Of Tribute
Walker, Texas Ranger was one of CBS’s most popular primetime shows in the 1990s. It ran for nine seasons and its series finale had over 10 million viewers. But the star of the show, Chuck Norris, was left out of the 2026 In Memoriam segment. It was a slight that one of his co-stars failed to understand.
Judson Mills starred alongside Chuck Norris in the show’s final three seasons. TheAs The World Turns alum shared his reaction to the Emmys not including Chuck Norris in the tribute. “Tragic mistake. And I have to assume it was just a terrible mistake. But my first thought was Gena and the family. And his fans,” he toldTMZ.
The actor speculated that the slight wasn’t intentional and suggested that Chuck Norris himself would forgive the mistake. However, he admitted that he had a difficult time understanding how it happened. “It hurt my feelings for sure. He was a legend for God’s sake,” Judson Mills said.
While he gave the show grace for the Emmys leaving Chuck Norris out of the tribute, TV fans were quick to blast the ceremony. To make things worse, Chuck Norris wasn’t the only one left out of the tribute. Other notable names not included were Buffy the Vampire Slayer stars Nicholas Brendon and Michelle Trachtenberg, as well asMelrose Place alum Patrick Muldoon and voice actor Peter Cullen.
Unfortunately, the Emmys only have a limited time to honor those lost.
Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger
