The 2025 Primetime Emmy Awards are drawing criticism from fans after the annual tribute segment failed to honor wrestling legend Hulk Hogan and prolific television actor Tony Todd. Viewers took to social media to voice their shock and anger over the exclusions.
September 15, 2025: People are upset over the “In Memoriam” section of the 2025 Primetime Emmy Awards, which recognizes TV artists and executives who died in the past year. The awards show happened on Sunday in Los Angeles. Wrestler Hulk Hogan and actor Tony Todd were not there, and fans and the press noticed right away.
The Television Academy hasn’t said anything official about the people who weren’t chosen yet. The “In Memoriam” section can only have a few names, but the choices for it can sometimes cause conflicts.
People on social media were especially angry that Hulk Hogan, a famous wrestler who got his start on TV, wasn’t on the list. Many people were upset with the Emmys for not giving professional wrestling the credit it deserves in TV history. A tweet on X (previously Twitter) said, “The Emmys are on their high horse and don’t include Hulk Hogan in their In Memoriam segment.” @HeymanHustle says that people might stop ignoring wrestling one day. Wrestling has been on TV since the medium was first invented.
Fans were also angry that Tony Todd, a famous actor, wasn’t there. A lot of people knew Todd for his roles in TV shows including The X-Files and the Star Trek series. He died in June 2025. People also recognized him well for his work on the movies in the Final Destination series. “Tony Todd did some great TV… This is crazy,” one fan said online. Variety says that Polly Holliday, who plays Alice, and Leslie Charleson, who plays General Hospital, were also gone.
New series did quite well in the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards. The satirical comedy The Studio received 13 honors, which is a record. Owen Cooper, who is only 15 years old, became the youngest person ever to win Best Supporting Actor.