The 2025 Oscars left fans outraged after Michelle Trachtenberg was left out of the “In Memoriam” segment.
Less than a week after the Gossip Girl star’s death, social media users called it “disrespectful” and “shameful” that she was not mentioned during the 97th Academy Awards show.
The traditional “In Memoriam” segment is seen as a chance for actors and filmmakers to honor the memory of their late peers, who passed away over the last year.
Highlights
- Michelle Trachtenberg was not mentioned during the “In Memoriam” segment of the 2025 Oscars.
- Morgan Freeman took the stage for the segment and gave a special shout-out to Gene Hackman.
- Fans expressed outrage after Trachtenberg was seemingly snubbed about a week after she was found dead in her luxury Manhattan apartment.
- Late stars like Shannen Doherty, Tony Todd, and Chance Perdomo were also left out.
Michelle Trachtenberg was not mentioned during the “In Memoriam” segment of the 2025 Oscars
Image credits: Gilbert Flores/WWD/Getty Images
Morgan Freeman took the stage for the segment and gave a special shout-out to Gene Hackman about a week after he and his wife were found dead in their New Mexico home.
“Gene always said, I don't think about legacy,” Freeman told the audience. “I just hope people remember me as someone who tried to do good work.”
James Earl Jones, David Lynch, Maggie Smith, Shelley Duvall, Donald Sutherland, Bob Newhart and others were honored during the segment.
Fans expressed outrage after the actress was seemingly snubbed about a week after her tragic passing
Image credits: Deadline Hollywood
However, Trachtenberg was excluded from the list, along with Shannen Doherty, Tony Todd, Chance Perdomo, and others.
“Oh f*** yall for not including michelle trachtenberg. so disrespectful,” one wrote on social media.
“Michelle Trachtenberg deserved her flowers!!! #Oscars that’s so sad,” another said.
Morgan Freeman took the stage and gave a special shout-out to Gene Hackman
Image credits: ABC News
“Michelle Trachtenberg not being mentioned in the in memoriam section of the Oscars is upsetting,” wrote another fan, “You are and will remain so so loved and admired Michelle.”
“It’s shameful that the #Oscars didn’t include Michelle Trachtenberg in their memorial montage of all the actors/actresses who have passed within the year!!!!” another wrote.
Image credits: michelletrachtenberg
Trachtenberg passed away at the age of 39 after a cardiac arrest.
Her mother Lana Trachtenberg found her dead in her luxury Manhattan apartment on March 26.
It was revealed that the Buffy the Vampire Slayer had undergone a liver transplant last year, and her body may have rejected the organ.
No foul play was suspected in her passing, and her family declined to have an autopsy.
The child star was found dead by her mother in her luxury apartment in Manhattan
Image credits: Prime Video
Less than a week before her death, insiders claimed she looked “frail” and “unwell.”
She was struggling to “walk down the stairs” during an outing to a New York restaurant, an onlooker told the Daily Mail.
Last year, the Ice Princess star clapped back at critics for saying she looked “sick.”
Image credits: Prime Video
“Explain to me how I look sick,” the actress fired back.
“Did you lose a calendar and not realize I’m not 14. I’m 38,” she added. “How sad for you to leave such a comment.”
“Michelle Trachtenberg deserved her flowers!!! #Oscars that’s so sad,” one said after Trachtenberg was left out
After Freeman took the stage for the “In Memoriam” segment, he spoke about working with Hackman on two films, Unforgiven and Under Suspicion.
“Like everyone who would ever shared a scene with him, I learned he was a generous performer and a man who gets elevated everyone’s work,” he told the grieving audience.
He also mentioned that Hackman won two Oscars during his time in showbiz.
The legendary icon, his wife Betsy Arakawa, and their pet dog were found dead in three different locations of their home in Santa Fe last week.
The couple were last seen together in public on March 28, 2024, leaving the Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen restaurant in Santa Fe.
“Can’t believe the Oscars snubbed Michelle Trachtenberg in their In Memoriam tribute,” a social media user said
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