Shonda Rhimes defends Eric Dane’s Oscars 2026 ‘In Memoriam’ snub: He’s ‘not a movie star’

Shonda Rhimes defended the Academy’s decision to leave “Grey’s Anatomy” star Eric Dane out of the “In Memoriam” segment at the 2026 Oscars.

“Well, he’s not a movie star,” Rhimes told Entertainment Tonight at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party on Sunday night.

“I feel like when the Emmys come around, he will be immortalized the way he should be. I don’t think—we can’t fault the Oscars for the fact they’re looking at movies, and there were so many people who were lost,” she said.

Despite not being featured in the main broadcast, Dane, who died in February from ALS, was included on the “In Memoriam” page on the Academy’s website.

“Eric was unique to television,” The “Grey’s Anatomy” creator shared with ET, adding that she “can’t wait” to see how the Emmys honor him.

The producer also reflected on Dane’s extensive television career.

“Eric is — was an incredible human being,” Rhimes said. “And I still say ‘is’ because it’s very hard for me to believe he’s gone.”

“He was a huge loss for us,” she continued. “He was a huge loss for the Shondaland family, for the ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ family, and honestly the people that he knew. He was just a wonderful, wonderful giving guy. And I don’t think everybody understands how amazing he was.”

Dane portrayed Dr. Mark Sloan aka “McSteamy,” on “Grey’s Anatomy” from Season 2 to the beginning of Season 9.

Although Rhimes was unbothered by the Oscars snub, Dane’s family was “saddened” that he left out.

A source close to the “Euphoria” actor’s ex-wife, Rebecca Gayheart, told TMZ that while they were down, they did understand that “it was a year of profound loss for the industry.”

An Academy insider told the outlet that there was no ill intent but instead, it was due to a lack of airtime during the ceremony.

TMZ was told that Dane’s family took comfort in knowing he is honored on the Academy’s website.

Dane, who shared daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 14, with Gayheart, wasn’t the only actor snubbed on Sunday.

James Van Der Beek, who lost his battle to colon cancer just weeks before Dane’s death, was also left out of the tribute.

The “Dawson’s Creek” star was married to his wife of 15 years, Kimberly, at the time of his death. The couple shared six children: daughters Olivia, Annabel, Emilia, and Gwendolyn, and sons Joshua and Jeremiah.

“What a missed opportunity,” one person wrote of the pair being snubbed, as a second user chimed in, “It was wrong to leave them out.”

Many fans pointed out that while Van Der Beek and Dane were primarily known for their work on TV, they both appeared in several movies throughout their careers.

Rob Reiner, Diane Keaton, Robert Redford and more were honored during the ceremony.