I think we all know why he wasn’t included.
In case you missed it like most normal people who were watching Monday Night Football instead, the 78th Annual Emmy Awards were held on Monday night. (Even Taylor Swift, who was nominated for 5 awards for her Eras Tour concert film, decided to skip the ceremony to watch her husband Travis Kelce play football).
As with any awards show, the Emmys held an “In Memoriam” segment to honor those from the industry who have passed away over the past year. But many quickly noticed that one name in particular was missing from the montage: The legendary Chuck Norris.
Norris was made famous by his action and martial arts-focused roles in the 1970s and 1980s. He starred opposite Bruce Lee in the 1972 film The Way of the Dragon, and his most recent role was in a 2024 movie titled Agent Recon. Many fans came to love the actor when he starred as Texas Ranger Cordell Walker in the TV series Walker, Texas Ranger from 1993 to 2001.
The larger-than-life star passed away on March 19 at the age 86, and despite a resumé that included dozens of television shows (including his best-known series that ran for nine seasons on CBS), movies, commercials, video games, and a persona that became larger than life in pop culture, apparently the Emmy Awards didn’t feel that it was necessary to include him in the annual tribute.
And well, it didn’t take long for people to notice:
Of course, many speculated that the reason for his exclusion was political: Norris was an outspoken conservative who endorsed Republican presidential candidates dating back to the 1980s. There’s no doubt that most in the room weren’t fans of his political views:
And after his exclusion, his “Walker, Texas Ranger” co-star Judson Mills spoke out against the Emmys for snubbing the late icon:
“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.
I’m confident Chuck would encourage forgiveness. He was an ‘it’s not all about me’ kind of guy. But for an icon of his stature who impacted not only Hollywood, but the entire world, to see him not receive recognition at all and to see the family not receive that recognition was disappointing… It hurt my feelings for sure. He was a legend for God’s sake.”
Of course, Norris wasn’t the only one who was noticeably absent from the tribute. The Emmys also didn’t include “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” star Nicholas Brendon, who passed away in March. But Brendon had a checkered legal history following a battle with alcoholism, including arrests in 2015 and 2017 for domestic violence against two separate girlfriends, agreeing to plea deals in both cases.
While the awards show received backlash for excluding Norris, they did include a heartwarming tribute to the legendary Dolly Parton, who passed away on August 25. Dolly’s longtime friend Reba McEntire delivered a teary-eyed performance of “Appalachian Memories” while honoring the country music legend:
