Martial arts legend and action star Chuck Norris was among a slew of high-profile snubs during the Emmy Awards in Memoriam segment… and fans of the Walker, Texas Ranger icon weren’t having it.
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Of course, the martial artist turned actor, who passed away back in March at the age of 86, made a huge mark on TV. Norris played Cordell Walker, a former U.S. Marine turned lawman, on Walker, Texas Ranger. The popular show aired for nearly 200 episodes from 1993 to 2001. The wildly popular show launched unescapable memes, affectionate Chuck Norris jokes that continue to this day (“Chuck Norris didn’t die…he just leveled up”), and a fan-favorite segment on Late Night with Conan O’Brien.
A reboot of the series starring Jared Padalecki launched on The CW in 2020 and ran until 2024.
However, leaving an unmistakable mark on the TV landscape for decades wasn’t enough for the organizers of this year’s Emmy Awards. Norris, along with other beloved TV personalities who recently passed, like Buffy the Vampire Slayer actor Nicholas Brendon, Transformers icon Peter Cullen, and Days of Our Lives star Patrick Muldoon, was left out of the ceremony’s “In Memoriam” segment.
Fans React to Chuck Norris Getting Snubbed by the Emmy Awards In Memoriam
Unsurprisingly, Norris fans weren’t going to take the snub without a fight.
“Chuck Norris did nine seasons of Walker, Texas Ranger which was a hit show at the time. He was basically on TV for the entirety of the 90s. They could’ve included him,” one fan wrote on X.
“Apparently, Chuck Norris was snubbed at the Emmys during their ‘In Memoriam’ segment. I’m not surprised, but disappointed. Chuck Norris is a bigger cultural icon than anyone else there combined,” another irate fan wrote.
“The Emmys disrespected the man, the myth and true Legend Chuck Norris by not honoring & leaving him out of In Memoriam. They remembered many, just not the guy who spent the ’90s kicking villains through plate glass for CBS,” a third fan tweeted.
Co-Star Weighs in on Chuck Norris Getting Excluded From Emmy Award’s
Meanwhile, Walker, Texas Ranger actor Judson Mills joined the fray over the Emmy snub. Mills joined the show during its last two seasons as fellow Texas Ranger Francis Gage. He also returned for the Walker TV movie Trial by Fire.
“Tragic mistake. And I have to assume it was just a terrible mistake,” the 57-year-old told TMZ about the snub. The actor also tipped his hat to Norris’s widow, Gena O’Kelley.
“My first thought was Gena and the family and his fans,” Mills added.
However, Mills believes Norris would’ve taken it all in stride.
“I’m confident Chuck would encourage forgiveness. He was an ‘it’s not all about me’ kind of guy,” Mills reasoned. “But for an icon of his stature who impacted not only Hollywood but the entire world, to see him not receive recognition at all and to see the family not receive that recognition was disappointing…”
“It hurt my feelings for sure. He was a legend for God’s sake.”