James Ransone's widow blasts Emmys for leaving actor out of tribute

James Ransone's widow, Jamie McPhee, has slammed the Television Academy for leaving the late actor out of the In Memoriam segment at the 2026 Emmy Awards.

During the ceremony in Los Angeles on Monday night, actors and industry figures who had died over the past year were honoured as Noah Kahan performed a rendition of Simon & Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water.

The list included James Van Der Beek, Anthony Head, Diane Ladd, Eric Dane, Hayden Panettiere, Dolly Parton, Robert Carradine, Tim Curry, James Burrows, and Rob Reiner, among others.

McPhee subsequently took to her Instagram Stories on Tuesday to express her disappointment that Ransone wasn't included.

The Wire star died by suicide at the age of 46 last December.

"My husband @jamesransone was not acknowledged in memoriam at tonight's Emmys. He was also not at the Oscars earlier this year. PJ was impossible, lovable, intolerable and incredible - depends on who you ask," she wrote, referring to his nickname. "But without question - he was a great actor."

However, McPhee insisted Ransone would think the exclusion was humorous.

"But good news is PJ wouldn't care," the mother-of-two added. "He'd actually think it's funny."

And later on Tuesday, McPhee further conveyed her frustration.

"I didn't watch the Emmys so l only now understand how much of a snub this truly was," she fired. "I am incredibly disappointed @televisionacad. @Jamesransone was an incredibly gifted actor and it simply is not right to not acknowledge him and his work."

Ransone is among the artists included in the full In Memoriam video posted online.

"Given only a few minutes to honour those who have passed, there is a limit on how many people can be acknowledged on the broadcasts," a representative for the Television Academy explained. "The Academy presents a more extensive video, listing the hundreds of names of television colleagues we've lost in the past year on their website."