Fans of WWE legend Hulk Hogan and Parks and Recreation actor Jonathan Joss have questioned why the stars were left out of the 2025 Emmys’ In Memoriam segment.
The Emmys took place on Sunday (14 September) at Los Angeles’s Peacock Theatre, with hit Netflix show Adolescence, Apple TV+ comedy The Studio and medical drama The Pitt all winning big.
But viewers were left confused when Hogan, real name Terry Gene Bolle, and Joss were omitted from the video montage honouring those who have died in the last year.
Hogan died in July, aged 71, from a heart attack. Meanwhile, Joss was fatally shot in Texas in June after a disagreement with a neighbour. He was 59.
Stars who featured in the segment included Downton Abbey star Maggie Smith, Gossip Girl actor Michelle Trachtenberg, rock legend and reality TV star Ozzy Osbourne, Twin Peaks co-creator David Lynch and record producer Quincy Jones, whose music has soundtracked many TV shows.
Viewers were quick to post on social media about the snubs to Hogan and Joss on X/Twitter.
“Damn the Emmys forgot about Hulk Hogan,” one person wrote, while another added: “Hulk Hogan died and no one seems to even care anymore.”
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A third viewer dubbed Joss’s absence from the segment “very sad and disrespectful”, adding: “I won’t forget you, Jonathan Joss.”
Another notable omission was It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Lynne Marie Stewart, who died in February aged 78.
The Emmys often prompts backlash over its selective In Memoriam segment, which goes alongside a much longer list of stars celebrated in a tribute shared on the award show’s website.
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Shortly after this year’s televised segment, the Everybody Loves Raymond actor Brad Garett took to the stage with his former co-star Ray Romano and joked he wouldn’t “make the cut” when he died.
Romano assured Garrett he’d be on the Emmys’ In Memoriam tribute if it had been a “slow year” for celebrity deaths, prompting laughter from the A-listers in attendance.
This year’s ceremony saw Adolescence star Owen Cooper, 15m make history on Sunday night as the youngest-ever male actor to win an Emmy.
Cooper took home the trophy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for his role as schoolboy Jamie Miller in the gripping Netflix drama.
You can see a full list of the 2025 Emmy Award winners here.
