The 98th Academy Awards should’ve been a night of pure celebration for Paul Thomas Anderson, whose film One Battle After Another finally broke his long-standing drought with a Best Picture win. Instead, as usually happens, the morning-after chatter isn't just about Michael B. Jordan’s Best Actor trophy or Amy Madigan’s record-breaking win. People are talking about the faces they didn't see during the In Memoriam segment.
Every year, the Academy tries to "fix" this segment. This time, they gave us an expanded runtime and high-profile live tributes from Barbra Streisand and Billy Crystal. Streisand’s nod to Robert Redford was genuinely moving, and Crystal’s stories about the late Rob Reiner felt personal. But even with fifteen extra minutes and a stage full of stars, the broadcast still managed to leave out some of the most gut-wrenching losses of the past twelve months.
If you were looking for James Van Der Beek, Eric Dane, or Malcolm-Jamal Warner, you were likely met with a screen that moved on way too fast.
The TV Wall and Why the Academy Still Doesn't Get It
There's an old, unspoken rule at the Oscars: if you're a "TV person," you don't belong in the montage. It’s an elitist stance that feels increasingly out of touch in an era where the line between film and television has basically vanished.
Take James Van Der Beek, for example. He passed away in February 2026 after a public and incredibly brave battle with colorectal cancer. While Dawson’s Creek made him a household name, you can’t talk about 90s cinema without mentioning Varsity Blues. He wasn't just a guest star; he carried a cultural touchstone on his shoulders. Leaving him out because he did more episodes of television than feature films feels like a slap in the face to the millions who grew up with him.
The same goes for Malcolm-Jamal Warner. His accidental drowning in Costa Rica last July was a massive shock to the industry. Yes, he’s Theo Huxtable to most of the world, but he had nearly twenty film credits to his name. When you see fashion designers or executives make the cut while actors who spent decades on screen are relegated to a "link in the bio" on the Oscars website, it’s hard not to feel the sting of the snub.
The Missing Icons of 2026
It wasn't just the "TV pinups" who got the cold shoulder. The list of omissions this year felt particularly heavy because it crossed genres and borders.
- Brigitte Bardot: The French icon died in December at 91. She was a literal titan of cinema. Some speculate her far-right political leanings in her later years made the Academy nervous, but excluding the star of And God Created Woman from a film tribute is historically revisionist at best.
- Dharmendra: A legend of Bollywood who passed in late 2025. With over 300 films, his impact on global cinema is undeniable. Ignoring him in a year when the Academy is supposedly pushing for "international representation" is a glaring contradiction.
- Eric Dane: Best known for Grey's Anatomy, but he had a significant presence in films like Marley & Me and the X-Men franchise. His death from ALS complications just weeks before the ceremony was a fresh wound for many fans.
- Bud Cort: The lead of Harold and Maude. If you call yourself a student of cinema and you don't recognize his contribution, you’re in the wrong building.
The Impossible Task of the In Memoriam Committee
To be fair, the people behind the telecast are in a no-win situation. Producers Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan have mentioned that the list of losses this year was "unimaginably high." They start with a longlist of hundreds and have to whittle it down to about 30 or 40 for the live broadcast. It’s a grisly task.
The committee usually prioritizes Academy members first. Then they look at "impact on the craft." But "impact" is subjective. Is a legendary cinematographer more "important" than a beloved actor who inspired a generation of kids to go to the movies? The Academy usually says yes. The audience usually says no.
We see this tension every year. The producers want a polished, emotional "moment" for TV. The fans want a funeral for their heroes. Those two goals rarely align. By trying to make the segment a star-studded performance—like having Rachel McAdams recite poems for Diane Keaton—they take up precious seconds that could have been used to show five more faces.
Stop Checking the Website and Start Valuing the Work
The Academy’s standard defense is that they have a "comprehensive list" on their website. Honestly, nobody cares. Nobody goes to the Oscars website to mourn. They watch the show to see a community honor its own. When you relegate James Van Der Beek or Robert Carradine to a digital PDF, you’re saying their contribution wasn't worth the airtime.
If the Oscars want to stop being the "snub awards," they need to rethink the architecture of the tribute. Stop the long, lingering shots of the singers. Stop the celebrity introductions that take two minutes just to set up a thirty-second clip. Just show the people. Use the screen. Use the technology you spend millions on to ensure that if someone gave their life to this industry, they get their five seconds of light.
Next time you’re debating why your favorite actor was left out, remember that the Oscars are a private club with very specific, often outdated, criteria. If you want to honor the stars we lost, go watch their work. Rent Varsity Blues. Stream Harold and Maude. That’s a better tribute than any thirty-second montage could ever be.
