Emmys 2020: Zach Braff Explains Why ‘Scrubs’ Co-Star Wasn’t In the In Memoriam Segment
Actor Zach Braff has, like so many others, lost multiple people close to him in 2020. However, he was disappointed to see that some of them, including one of his Scrubs castmates, weren’t acknowledged during the Television Academy’s annual presentation during the 2020 Emmy Awards.
Zach Braff starred in ‘Scrubs’
Braff is best known for his role as J.D. (John Dorian) in Scrubs. J.D. is a young doctor at Sacred Heart hospital, working alongside his best friend, Turk (Donald Faison), frequent love interest, Elliot (Sarah Chalke), mentor Perry Cox (John C. McGinley), and many more.
Scrubs aired for nine seasons, with the final season later subtitled Scrubs: Med School, with Braff and co. taking a backseat to new characters. Marking 10 years since the series began, Braff and Faison began a rewatch podcast, Fake Doctors, Real Friends, in March 2020.
Sam Lloyd passed away in 2020
Former Scrubs castmates like Chalke and McGinley have come on the podcast. But one actor who didn’t get a chance was Sam Lloyd, who played recurring character Ted Buckland, a lawyer who works at the hospital. Buckland passed away in April 2020 from cancer.
“Rest In Peace to one of the funniest actors I’ve ever had the joy of working with,” Braff tweeted at the time. “Sam Lloyd made me crack up and break character every single time we did a scene together. He could not have been a kinder man. I will forever cherish the time I had with you, Sammy.”
Braff also lost a friend, Nick Cordero
A few months later, one of Braff’s close friends, actor Nick Cordero, passed away due to complications from coronavirus. “I can honestly tell you I have never met a kinder human being,” Braff tweeted. “Don’t believe that Covid only claims the elderly and infirm. I am so grateful for the time we had.”
Months after that, Braff expressed disappointment that Cordero wasn’t included in the Emmys in memoriam segment. “For those wondering: The Emmys chose to leave Nick Cordero out of the memorial montage,” he wrote on Twitter. “I had no idea one had to campaign to get their loved one in. We did. They passed.”
Braff shared a note from the Television Academy
Braff continued in another Twitter post, discussing how Lloyd was also not honored during the segment. “I should mention too, that they also left out Sam Lloyd,” he wrote. “I would have never even considered ‘campaigning’ for Sam because he had more TV credits than most actors I know.”‘
Later, Braff shared a message from the Television Academy about the process of choosing who makes it in. “With so many people passing in any given year, we simply cannot ensure any particular individual is included, nor do we release the names of those included prior to the telecast,” it read in part.
