Emmys 2026 In Memoriam Chuck Norris, Daveigh Chase, Nicholas Brendon & More Left Out

Published September 14, 2026 8:29 PM PDT

The 2026 Emmys honored a long list of television legends during their In Memoriam ... but several familiar names were noticeably missing, including Chuck Norris, Daveigh Chase, Nicholas Brendon and more.

Chuck, who passed away in March, had a decades-long TV career and was most known for his 9-season action series "Walker, Texas Ranger" -- leaving fans shocked he was left out of the tribute.

In addition to his 9 seasons on 'Walker,' Chuck had appearances in "The Goldbergs," "Hawaii Five-0" and "Sons of Thunder" -- he even had his own animated series called "Chuck Norris: Karate Commandos."

Daveigh Chase's manager and friend Johnny Ryan is blasting the Television Academy over the omission, telling TMZ ... "These f***ing Emmys snubbed Daveigh from the In Memoriam. Awful."

Chase, who died this year, had a lengthy television résumé dating back to childhood. She appeared on "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," "Charmed," "The Practice," "ER," "Yes, Dear," "That's Life," "Touched by an Angel," "Inside Schwartz" and "The Guardian," among other shows.

Of course, Chase was also hugely recognizable for her voice work as Lilo Pelekai in the "Lilo & Stitch" franchise and as Samara Morgan in "The Ring" ... but it's her television work that makes her absence from an Emmy tribute particularly notable.

"Buffy The Vampire Slayer" star Nicholas Brendon was also noticeably missing from the tribute ... he starred in all 144 episodes of the 7-season teen drama.

Peter Cullen, meanwhile, was one of the most recognizable voices in television animation for generations. Cullen's TV credits included "The Smurfs," "Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends," "Knight Rider," "The Transformers," "G.I. Joe," "The Real Ghostbusters," "The Jetsons," "Transformers: Prime" and numerous other animated series.

Tom Kane, another prolific voice actor whose television résumé stretches across decades, has stacked credits as well ... 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 Emmys' In Memoriam segment is designed to recognize performers, creators and other television figures who died during the eligibility period, making omissions particularly noticeable to fans and colleagues.

Meanwhile, the tribute did honor several major names lost over the past year ... including Dolly Parton, Hayden Panettiere, Catherine O'Hara and Rob Reiner -- however a few still managed to be left behind in being remember during TV's biggest night.