Chuck Norris, the martial arts icon and star of “Walker, Texas Ranger,” was left out of the 2026 Emmy Awards’ “In Memoriam” segment, and at least one of his former co-stars isn’t staying quiet about it. Judson Mills, who played Francis Gage opposite Norris during the final two seasons of the long-running CBS series, told TMZ he initially “assumed it was just a terrible mistake” when he realized Norris hadn’t been included in the tribute to entertainment figures who died over the past year.
The omission was a painful one for those who knew Norris, Mills said, but he suggested Norris himself wouldn’t have wanted anyone to nurse a grudge over it. “I’m confident Chuck would encourage forgiveness. He was an ‘it’s not all about me’ kind of guy,” Mills told the outlet.
His first concern, he said, was for Norris’s widow and the rest of the family — then for the legions of fans who grew up watching the action star. “My first thought was Gena and the family. And his fans,” Mills recalled. Even so, the slight stung. “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,” he said.
A shared screen history that spanned more than 200 episodes
Mills and Norris worked together on “Walker, Texas Ranger” across the show’s nine-season, 203-episode run, and later reunited for the 2005 television movie “Trial by Fire.” Norris anchored the series as Cordell Walker, a Texas Ranger with a strict moral code and a penchant for martial-arts justice — a role that helped cement him as one of the defining action figures of the 1990s and early 2000s.
Norris died earlier this year. In a statement released after his death, his family remembered him not just as a public figure but as the center of their private world. “To the world, he was a martial artist, actor, and a symbol of strength. To us, he was a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather, an incredible brother, and the heart of our family,” they said. “He lived his life with faith, purpose, and an unwavering commitment to the people he loved.”
The family went on to note the scope of his influence. “Through his work, discipline, and kindness, he inspired millions around the world and left a lasting impact on so many lives.”
Norris wasn’t the only name missing
The exclusion of Norris from the “In Memoriam” reel drew particular attention given his fame and the breadth of his career, but he was not alone. According to TMZ’s reporting, the segment also skipped over several other performers who died in the past year. Among them: Nicholas Brendon, best known for his role as Xander Harris on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” The omission stood out for some viewers because Brendon’s “Buffy” co-star Anthony Stewart Head was included in the tribute.
Also left out were Daveigh Chase, who voiced Lilo in Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch,” and Patrick Muldoon, a veteran actor known for his role in “Starship Troopers.”
In Memoriam segments have long been a delicate part of awards-show production, with producers attempting to honor dozens of industry figures in a matter of minutes. The segments routinely spark complaints about who was included, who was overlooked, and how much time each name received — a recurring headache that has touched the Oscars, the Grammys, and the Tonys in years past.
Neither the Television Academy, which administers the Emmy Awards, nor the broadcast’s producers had publicly addressed the omissions as of the reporting. Whether the exclusions were intentional or the result of production constraints remained unclear.
For Mills, the missing name was personal. Having spent years sharing scenes with Norris — and watching the actor’s larger-than-life persona extend far beyond television into a broader pop-culture phenomenon — he framed the snub as a failure to recognize a career that transcended the usual boundaries of Hollywood fame.
“He was a legend for God’s sake,” he said.
Source: www.dailywire.com — https://www.dailywire.com/news/walker-co-star-slams-emmys-for-leaving-legend-chuck-norris-off-2026-in-memoriam