Shonda Rhimes breaks silence on Eric Dane’s shocking Oscars snub: You won’t believe her excuse!

 

Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes is defending the Academy’s decision to exclude Eric Dane from the Oscars’ “In Memoriam” segment.

“Well, he’s not a movie star, you know?” Rhimes said to Entertainment Tonight after the awards ceremony. “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].”

The 2026 Primetime Emmys are scheduled for Sept. 14, 2026.

Since the Oscars on Sunday, Mar. 15, the Academy has been facing backlash for not including Dane and late Dawson’s Creek actor James Van Der Beek in the tribute.

A source told Us Weekly that the Academy “receives hundreds of requests to include loved ones and industry colleagues” to be featured during the “In Memoriam” segment. To narrow down the requests, an executive committee is formed with members from every branch of the Academy.

The source explained that those committee members review the list and make “recommendations for the telecast based on limited available time.”

All of the submissions, including those not featured during the live broadcast, are included on the Oscars website and remain there for the duration of the year.

Dane, who was best known for his role as Dr. Mark Sloan on Grey’s Anatomy, died on Feb. 19 at age 53 following a battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.

The long-running medical drama paid tribute to the actor with a 60-second montage of his most memorable moments on the show at the conclusion of its Feb. 27 episode.

Grey’s Anatomy airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. Episodes are available next day on Hulu.