The Stars That the Oscars’ in Memoriam Segment Left Out
The 98th Academy Awards aired on March 15. While the show went off largely as expected, viewers weren’t exactly thrilled with everything that happened. You might be shocked to learn that the Oscars’ “in memoriam” segment was one of the most controversial moments of the night. Viewers were quick to point out that several stars who died in recent months weren’t mentioned in the tribute piece. These are the stars that were left off the list.
James Van Der Beek and Eric Dane were not mentioned in the ‘In Memoriam’ segment of the Oscars
There is an “In Memoriam” segment at the Oscars each and every year. Each year, it seems, there are stars or important industry figures who are mysteriously left out of the reel. The Academy almost never explains its decision to include or not include stars, but the list of snubbed celebrities feels especially egregious this year.
While the Academy paid tribute to some of the year’s biggest losses, like the tragic murders of Michele and Rob Reiner, it left out other stars whose deaths made headlines. The Academy opted not to honor James Van Der Beek or Eric Dane. While both were better known for their TV roles, they also had movie roles. Van Der Beek died in February from colon cancer. Dane died less than a year after announcing his ALS diagnosis. He also died in February.
The Academy also left Brigitte Bardot out of the televised tribute. Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Robert Carradine, and Loni Anderson didn’t make the final reel, either. Warner died during a family vacation in July. He drowned. Anderson lost her battle with uterine cancer in August, while Carradine died by suicide just weeks ago. Bardot died in December from cancer.
Fans mistakenly believed Gene Hackman was snubbed, too
While the Academy left off a lot of big stars in this year’s “In Memoriam” segment, viewers were shocked that Gene Hackman didn’t make the cut. While it is true that the Hollywood icon was not part of the segment this year, the Academy didn’t actually ignore his death. Hackman, who died in February 2025, was actually honored during the 97th Academy Awards.
Hackman died just days before the 97th Academy Awards, but the academy scrambled to pay tribute to the famous actor, with Morgan Freeman openly discussing his friend. The ceremony took place so soon after his death that a determination of the cause had not yet been made. He was eulogized much in the same way the Academy opted to pay tribute to the Reiners.
