2022 Emmys: Why This Year’s In Memoriam Caused Controversy With Viewers

Meaghan Darwish
9 Comments
Emmys John Legend In Memoriam
Chris Haston/NBC

The Emmys In Memoriam is always a segment up for debate as the annual collection honors the stars and creatives we’ve lost over the past year.

The 2022 Primetime Emmy Awards caused some mixed reactions as this year’s tribute rolled with The Voice coach John Legend serenading audiences alongside the accompanying visuals. The emotional presentation recognized some true television legends from a year jam-packed with tragic industry losses, from Golden Girls‘ Betty White, Bosom Buddies‘ Peter Scolari, and Full House‘s Bob Saget to The Sopranos‘ Tony Sirico, The Godfather‘s James Caan, and Ray Liotta.

While there are always some faces that fans notice as missing from the lineup, one seemingly glaring omission spurred viewers to sound off on social media: Where was Norm Macdonald‘s recognition? The former Saturday Night Live star was noticeably absent from the montage, but there was a reason for it.

As some of the star’s fans may have forgotten, Macdonald died just days before last year’s ceremony, and by proxy, was included in the 2021 ceremony’s In Memoriam segment. But that didn’t stop viewers from expressing their feelings about his loss. And that’s just one of the issues viewers had with the segment.

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Many also noted that the cameras panning in and out from the stage and the screen may not have given some recently deceased celebrities their due recognition. See some fan reactions, below, and let us know what you thought of the In Memoriam segment in the comments section.

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  1. C

    CyanFish

    This year's In Memoriam was a disappointment. Some of the photos of the stars were so far away that you weren't able to distinguish who they were.

    9

  2. R

    RedWrench

    I seriously was unable to see who these people were about 80% of this segment. The back and forth panning was dizzying and quite distracting. Love John Legend, but this wasn't about him 🥴

    7

  3. O

    OrangeCandy

    The Emmy’s Memoriam forgot so many actors and the way the segment was done was just awful! The camera was all over the place and to far away…you couldn’t even see the screen, it was so annoying! I absolutely love John Legend but I don’t want to see him I wanna see the stars that are being remembered. Needless to say, it was a disappointment.

    3

  4. O

    OliveFan

    They left out Larry Storch, a 1966-67 Emmy nominee for Corporal Agarn on "F Troop". He died at the precise age of 99-and-a-half. How young do you have to be to get an In Memoriam recognition?

    3

  5. B

    BlueCone

    JCJIn the future please show the pictures of ones we have lost with just soft music and keep the camera on the pictures not on the entertainment. Half the time it was not possible to see the pictures of the deceased.

    1

  6. G

    GoldBlowdryer

    She was even nominated for an Emmy, and was a staple on TV in the 70's and 80's with TV specials and appearances, and... NOTHING???

    1

  7. C

    CyanTree

    They didn’t even highlight Betty White. Guess she wasn’t that golden

    1

    1. O

      OliveProcessor

      Umm...she was the first one to appear. They included audio from her...something that they did for only 6 or 7 others... What were YOU watching? Good "golden" pun, btw...

      3

  8. G

    GoldScooter

    Why was Michael Kenneth Williams Left out of the memorium section of the Emmy’s?