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Buffy The Vampire Slayer stars Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz have been criticised for their lacklustre tribute to their late co-stars at the Emmy Awards.
The actors, who played Buffy and Angel in the TV series, reunited to present the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie at Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Monday night.
Before announcing the winner as Matthew Rhys for The Beast In Me, Sarah and David did a short speech but failed to mention Anthony Head, Michelle Trachtenberg and Nicholas Brendon by name.
They said: ‘So before we move on to the award, David and I would like to acknowledge that it has been a tough two years for our cast and crew and we feel very lucky to have known and worked with such amazing people.’
Fans thought the pair should have elaborated at this point in their speech and took to social media to share their thoughts.
They wrote on X: ‘tough two years for our beloved cast and crew’: Yeah, Anthony Head, Nicholas Brendon, and Michelle Trachtenberg deserved better.’
Buffy The Vampire Slayer stars Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz have been criticised for their lacklustre tribute to their late co-stars at the Emmy Awards
Before announcing the winner as Matthew Rhys for The Beast In Me, Sarah and Michelle did a short speech but failed to mention Anthony Head (pictured) and their other late co-stars
‘Them going up on stage and not saying about Anthony and Michelle properly, with names, paying tribute is outrageous, ridiculous to say at least specially about Tony, who had one of the most beautiful souls in this cast, I’m deeply sad about, Tony deserved better!!’
‘They had a time for a bit about Buffy and Angel but couldn’t say anything special about Anthony or Michelle. That would have been a nicer tribute to the show.’
‘Had no clue they were talking about the passed away. I thought it was two years of pain trying to get the reboot done.’
Anthony, who played librarian Rupert Giles in the show, passed away in June aged 72 after suffering from complications due to pneumonia.
He was the third prominent cast member to have died in less than two years.
Nicholas died in March at the age of 54. He played construction worker Xander Harris in Joss Whedon’s supernatural horror drama.
The Putnam County Coroner ruled the actor’s death was natural since 90 per cent of his right coronary artery was blocked due to atherosclerotic and hypertensive cardiovascular disease.
Contributing factors included acute pneumonia and a heart attack Brendon (born Schultz) had suffered in 2023 after being diagnosed with a congenital heart defect.
Some fans suggested the pair didn’t elaborate in their speech because of Nicholas’s brushes with the law. He had been arrested multiple times on charges like felony vandalism, public intoxication, grand theft and felony corporal injury to a spouse.
Buffy alum Nicholas Brendon (R) died in March at the age of 54. He played construction worker Xander Harris in Joss Whedon’s supernatural horror drama
Michelle Trachtenberg, who famously portrayed Dawn Summers – the younger sister of Gellar’s Buffy Summers – died on February 26, 2025 at age 39; Seen 2015
She died due to complications from diabetes mellitus; Pictured with Gellar in a still from the show
Fans thought the pair should have elaborated. They wrote on X: ‘tough two years for our beloved cast and crew’: Yeah, Anthony Head, Nicholas Brendon, and Michelle Trachtenberg deserved better.’
Viewers noticed he was not included in the in memoriam tribute segment to the stars who have passed.
Michelle – who famously portrayed Dawn Summers – the younger sister of Gellar’s Buffy Summers – died on February 26, 2025 at age 39.
She died due to complications from diabetes mellitus. Officials cited lab results in declaring their findings to the Daily Mail and classified the death as natural.
In the months prior to her passing, Trachtenberg had undergone a liver transplant.
Emmy Awards 2026 winners
Outstanding Drama Series
The Diplomat
The Gilded Age
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
Paradise
The Pitt – WINNER
Pluribus
Slow Horses
Your Friends and Neighbors
Noah Wyle led The Pitt to an Outstanding Drama Series honor
Outstanding Comedy Series
Abbott Elementary
The Bear
Hacks
Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Nobody Wants This
Only Murders in the Building
Shrinking
Widow’s Bay – WINNER
Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series
All Her Fault
The Beast in Me
Beef
DTF St Louis – WINNER
Love Story: John F Kennedy Jr & Carolyn Bessette
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Carrie Coon, The Gilded Age
Chase Infiniti, The Testaments
Keri Russell, The Diplomat
Rhea Seehorn, Pluribus – WINNER
Zendaya, Euphoria
Rhea Seehorrn was recognized for her work in Pluribus
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Sterling K Brown, Paradise
Gary Oldman, Slow Horses
Mark Ruffalo, Task
Rufus Sewell, The Diplomat
Noah Wyle, The Pitt – WINNER
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Taylor Dearden, The Pitt
Fiona Dourif, The Pitt
Allison Janney, The Diplomat – WINNER
Katherine LaNasa, The Pitt
Sepideh Moafi, The Pitt
Julianne Nicholson, Paradise
Karolina Wydra, Pluribus
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Patrick Ball, The Pitt
Billy Crudup, The Morning Show
Shawn Hatosy, The Pitt
Gerran Howell, The Pitt
Jack Lowden, Slow Horses
Tom Pelphrey, Task – WINNER
Carlos-Manuel Vesga, Pluribus
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary
Ayo Edebiri, The Bear
Elle Fanning, Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback
Jean Smart, Hacks – WINNER
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Wonder Man
Steve Carell, Rooster
Matthew Rhys, Widow’s Bay – WINNER
Jason Segel, Shrinking
Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building
Dale Dickey, Widow’s Bay
Matthew Rhys became the first actor to win two leading actor awards in one night
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Hannah Einbinder, Hacks
Janelle James, Abbott Elementary
Kate O’Flynn, Widow’s Bay – WINNER
Michelle Pfeiffer, Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Megan Stalter, Hacks
Jessica Williams, Shrinking
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Colman Domingo, The Four Seasons
Paul W Downs, Hacks
Harrison Ford, Shrinking
Nick Offerman, Margo’s Got Money Troubles
Stephen Root, Widow’s Bay – WINNER
Michael Urie, Shrinking
Tyler James Williams, Abbott Elementary
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Claire Danes, The Beast in Me
Sally Field, Remarkably Bright Creatures – WINNER
Carey Mulligan, Beef
Sarah Pidgeon, Love Story: John F Kennedy Jr & Carolyn Bessette
Sarah Snook, All Her Fault
Sally Field was a surprise winner for Remarkably Bright Creatures
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
Riz Ahmed, Bait
Jason Bateman, Black Rabbit
Charlie Hunnam, Monster: The Ed Gein Story
Oscar Isaac, Beef
Matthew Rhys, The Beast in Me – WINNER
Outstanding Reality Competition Program
Dancing With the Stars
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Survivor
Top Chef
The Traitors – WINNER
Outstanding Variety Series
The Daily Show
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert – WINNER
Saturday Night Live
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Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
The Diplomat (Peter Akerman and Debora Cahn for ‘Amagansett’)
The Pitt (Kirsten Pierre-Geyfman & R. Scott Gemmill for ‘1pm’)
The Pitt (Valerie Chu for ’12pm’)
Industry (Mickey Down and Konrad Kay for ‘Dear Henry’)
Pluribus (Vince Gilligan for ‘We Is Us’) – WINNER
Slow Horses (Will Smith for ‘Scars’)
Task (Brad Ingelsby for ‘A Still Small Voice’)
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
Abbott Elementary (Quinta Brunson for ‘Team Building’)
The Chair Company (Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin for ‘Life goes by too f**king fast, it really does’)
The Comeback (Michael Patrick King and Lisa Kudrow for ‘Valerie Does It All’)
Hacks (Lucia Aniello, Paul W Downs, and Jen Statsky for ‘Hacks’)
Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat (Anthony King for ‘Mergers and Acquisitions’)
Widow’s Bay (Katie Dippold for ‘Welcome to Widow’s Bay’) – WINNER
Katie Dippold had a massive night as she also earned an outstanding writing win
Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
The Gilded Age (Salli Richardson-Whitfield for ‘My Mind Is Made Up’)
Paradise (Hanelle M Culpepper for ‘Exodus’)
The Pitt (Noah Wyle for ’12pm’)
Pluribus (Vince Gilligan for ‘We Is Us’)
Slow Horses (Saul Metzstein for ‘Scars’) – WINNER
Task (Salli Richardson-Whitfield for ‘Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a river’)
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
Abbott Elementary (Randall Einhorn for ‘Ballgame’)
The Bear (Christopher Storer for ‘Bears’)
The Chair Company (Andrew DeYoung for ‘Life goes by too f**king fast, it really does’)
Hacks (Lucia Aniello for ‘Hacks’)
The Ms Pat Show (Mary Lou Belli for Give It Arrest)
Widow’s Bay (Hiro Murai for ‘Welcome to Widow’s Bay’) – WINNER
Widow’s Bay’s Hiro Murai earned Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
