Fans reacted to Eric Dane, James Van Der Beek and others' notable absences from the In Memoriam segment at the 2026 Oscars
The annual In Memoriam segment at the 2026 Oscars took time to remember those in the film industry who died in the past year. And while actors from Robert Redford and Diane Keaton to Catherine O’Hara and Rick Reiner received recognition, fans were not happy with some notable omissions.
Chief among them were Eric Dane and James Van Der Beek, neither of whom were honored at the Sunday, March 15, ceremony. “Screw the Oscars they didn’t include James van Der beek and Eric Dane in the In Memoriam,” one fan wrote via X. Another added, “I know every year, the Oscars leaves out a few people who passed away. But these 3 were so recent. I'm sad they left out, James Van Der Beek, Eric Dane, and, Robert Carradine. RIP.” Van Der Beek died on February 11 at age 48 after a battle with colorectal cancer. Dane, who publicly fought ALS, died at age 53 eight days later on February 19. But as film critic Mara Reinstein pointed out, the two actors were mostly associated with television, not movies, which could explain their absences. “Friends I am a certified In Memoriam Oscars expert,” she wrote. “I wrote big story about it for THR last year —- and I’m telling you that James Van Der Beek and Eric Dane were never going to make the cut. They’re too associated with TV and only limited # of actor slots allowed.” Dane and Van Der Beek weren’t the only ones let out. Geoff Keighley, son of David Keighley, who was IMAX’s first quality control officer, spoke out via X about his father’s omission. “So incredibly disappointed and heartbroken that the #Oscars and AMPAS chose not to include my father, David Keighley, and his immeasurable contributions to IMAX and cinema in the In Memoriam segment in the broadcast,” he wrote. “I will never forget.”Tom Noonan, who died on February 14 at age 74 after a battle with cancer, was also left out. One fan honored him via X, writing, “Remembering Tom Noonan, who I was sorry to not see in the Academy In Memoriam tribute.” Several fans also expressed disbelief in the segment not including Malcom-Jamal Warner, best known as Theodore Huxtable on The Cosby Show, but with more than 20 film credits to his name. Warner unexpectedly died by drowning at age 54 following a July 2025 accident in Costa Rica. “Now #oscar that was a beautiful in memoriam tribute but how do you manage to leave MALCOLM JAMAL WARNER off of that?! 🤔😢😐,” wrote one viewer. “So they left Malcolm Jamal Warner off the Oscars tribute because?!?!…smh typical. #oscars #fixitnow,” another added. The In Memoriam segment that aired on ABC, however, wasn’t the complete edition. The Academy posted a longer version to its website on Sunday night, which included Julian McMahon, James Ransone, Danielle Spencer, Loretta Swit, George Wendt and Demond Wilson.
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