2026 The Academy Awards may be done and dusted, but the controversy surrounding its In Memoriam section is far from over. The makers of the show are being criticized for keeping out many prominent names, including veteran star Dharmendra, from the televised tribute program. Amid the growing backlash, broadcast executive Rob Mills, who oversees the broadcast, took the criticism seriously, defending the segment as one of the most complex and challenging aspects of putting together the show.
Oscars act on In Memoriam omission
during an interview with DiversityRob Mills, Walt Disney Television’s EVP of unscripted and alternative entertainment, defended the decision to remove some names from the In Memoriam segment. Oscars 2026 broadcast.
Rob was asked about the In Memoriam segment, which drew criticism for leaving out several notable names and drew a strong reaction from viewers.
To this, Rob said that it is the Academy’s decision as to who ends up on the air, but it is difficult. “I think it’s probably the hardest thing they do. It’s always hard when they’re villainized for it. Yes, there are always people who are left out. Unfortunately, we’re losing more and more people, and especially, we’re losing great people every year, so it’s probably the hardest thing to thread the needle. I think what they did last night might be the best in memoriam in Oscar history,” he said.
He also talked about this segment in the interview WrapRecognizing that conceptualizing a segment is always a big task.
Taking a look at what’s going on behind all this, he said, “Robert Redford passed away first, and then when Diane Keaton passed away, and those are two monumental legends – it’s in the fall. Now, we also had the advantage with the show that the producers were already in place before last year’s show… so you can start planning for it now. When you lose people like that… these in memoriam really, really need to be done – these There are famous names to lose. And then obviously the tragedy with Rob was terrible. I think that’s when they really started thinking, ‘Okay, how are we going to do this?’ [Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan] This moment was welcomed beautifully.”
In memoriam segment goes viral during Oscars 2026
There was disappointment among the audience after several late legends, including Dharmendra, were missing from the extended In Memoriam segment during the live telecast of the 98th Academy Awards held in Los Angeles on Sunday night.
During the ceremony on Sunday, an in memoriam segment featured several Hollywood legends lost this year, including late Hollywood icon Rob Reiner and his wife Michelle Reiner. Lost icons featured in this section included Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, and Diane Keaton.
In an interview with Subhash K Jha for Bollywood Hungama, Hema reacted to him being left out of the Oscar tribute and said, “It’s definitely a shame. It’s a shame for them to ignore an actor who meant so much to so many people in so many parts of the world. Dharamji was known and recognized everywhere.”
Later, Dharmendra’s name was included in the tribute on the official website of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Hollywood actors including James Van Der Beek and Eric Dane were also included in the list along with another 300 names, including actors, directors, producers and screenwriters, who the film industry lost in the last year.