Shonda Rhimes is reacting to the Academy’s decision to not include Eric Dane in the In Memoriam segment at the 2026 Oscars.
During the awards show held on Sunday (March 15), the late Grey’s Anatomy actor was one the many stars that were noticeably absent from the memorial segment dedicated to stars who passed away in the last year, including moving tributes to Rob and Michele Reiner, Diane Keaton and Robert Redford.
As she arrived at the Vanity Fair after-party following the Oscars, Shonda, 56, defended the Academy for excluding Eric.
Keep reading to find out more… “Well, he’s not a movie star, you know?” Shonda told Entertainment Tonight. “And I feel like when the Emmys come around, he will be [immortalized] the way he should be.”
“We can’t fault the Oscars for the fact that they’re looking at movies,” she continued. “And there were so many people who were lost, but Eric was unique to television and I can’t wait to see what they do with him [at the Emmys].”
While Eric might be best known for playing Dr. Mark Sloan, aka McSteamy, on Grey’s Anatomy, he does have 19 movie credits to his name, including 2006′s X-Men: The Last Stand, 2008′s Marley & Me, 2010′s Valentine’s Day, and 2024′s Bad Boys: Ride or Die.
If you didn’t see the sad news, Eric died on February 19, nearly one year after he announced that he had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). He was 53-years-old.
You can see all of the Grey’s Anatomy stars that paid tribute to Eric Dane following his death here.
