James Ransone Snubbed From Both Emmys and Oscars In Memoriam — SkimNews
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- James Ransone was excluded from the 2026 Emmys In Memoriam tribute, the second major awards snub this year after the Oscars' March ceremony also omitted him.
- Jamie McPhee, Ransone's widow, called out the Television Academy on Instagram, saying 'it simply is not right to not acknowledge him and his work.'
- A Television Academy spokesperson told EW that the on-air In Memoriam runs 'only a few minutes' with limited slots, noting Ransone's name appears in the extended online-only In Memoriam video.
- Ransone was far from the only omission — Chuck Norris, Nicholas Brendon (notable since the Emmys aired a 'Buffy' reunion), Patrick Muldoon, Jaye P. Morgan, Daveigh Chase, and Grizz Chapman were also left out; Norris' 'Walker, Texas Ranger' co-star Judson Mills called it a 'tragic' and 'terrible mistake.'
- Director Scott Derrickson, who cast Ransone in five films including 'Sinister' and 'The Black Phone,' criticized the earlier Oscars snub on X and disclosed that Ransone died by suicide in early January.
- Ransone broke out as Ziggy Sobotka on HBO's 'The Wire' Season 2 and went on to roles in 'It: Chapter 2,' 'Sinister,' 'Tangerine,' and the HBO miniseries 'Generation Kill.'
Why it matters: The Television Academy confirmed its broadcast In Memoriam runs only a few minutes and cannot accommodate every industry figure who died — turning personal grief into a public referendum on how awards shows prioritize their finite tribute slots. For McPhee and Derrickson, the dual exclusion reopened raw wounds over how Ransone's January suicide and his sometimes controversial online presence were — or weren't — memorialized by the institutions that shaped his career.
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