There’s always one…for a few. Several stars were noticeably absent from the Academy Awards In Memoriam montage, including the late Leslie Jordan, who died in October 2022. Anne Heche, who passed away from injuries sustained in a car accident, was also left out of the segment, along with fellow actors Paul Sorvino, Tony Sirico, Twitch, Charlbi Dean, Gilbert Gottfried, and Cindy Williams, among others. While the Academy did share a QR code to take fans to a longer list of those lost in the industry in 2023, these TV and film stars were left out of the televised In Memoriam and fans were not happy.
“The Oscars should be ashamed not including the deeply talented, too often underrated Anne Heche in their In Memoriam montage,” one Twitter user said, while another complained, “No Leslie Jordan or Paul Sorvino in the In Memoriam segment? What the f***?” Leslie Jordan notably announced last year’s Oscar nominees alongside Tracee Ellis Ross, and Paul Sorvino choked back tears at the 1986 show as his daughter Mira Sorvino accepted her award for Best Supporting Actress.
John Travolta opened up the In Memoriam segment and introduced performer Lenny Kravitz, as he fought back tears remembering his Grease co-star, the late Olivia Newton John. “They’ve made us smile, and became dear friends who we will always remain hopelessly devoted to,” the star said through tears.
John Travolta gets emotional as he introduces the "In Memoriam" segment at the #Oscars: "They've made us smile, and became dear friends who we will always remain hopelessly devoted to." https://t.co/ndiKiHfmID pic.twitter.com/67NZN8e11d
— Variety (@Variety) March 13, 2023
Recall, last year Bob Saget was notably left out from the In Memoriam segment nearly three months after his passing, and fans were furious at the snub. “Cancel the #oscars for not mentioning Bob Saget in the Memoriam,” one Twitter user wrote, while another viewer added, “Shame on you @TheAcademy for not recognizing @bobsaget.” Shockingly, Norm MacDonald and Ed Asner were absent from the segment, as well. In 2021, fans were equally as upset when Glee‘s Naya Rivera and once-Oscar nominated Adam Schlesinger were omitted from the segment. “How in the world is she not included wtf is going on?!” one person tweeted about Rivera at the time.