“It simply is not right to not acknowledge him and his work,” the late actor’s wife wrote.

James Ransone’s widow slams Emmys for leaving The Wire actor out of ‘In Memoriam’ segment

“It simply is not right to not acknowledge him and his work,” the late actor’s wife wrote.

By Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel

Wesley Stenzel is a news writer at **. He began writing for EW in 2022.

EW's editorial guidelines

on September 15, 2026 8:51 p.m. ET

Leave a Comment

James Ransone and Jamie McPhee. Credit:

Jamie McPhee/Instagram

- James Ransone, who died in December, was not included in the Emmys’ “In Memoriam” segment.

- His widow, Jamie “Skipper” McPhee, called out the Television Academy for the “snub.”

- “It simply is not right to not acknowledge him and his work,” she wrote.

James Ransone’s widow is speaking out against the Television Academy.

Jamie “Skipper” McPhee, the widow of the late star of *The Wire*, slammed the organization behind the Emmys for failing to include Ransone in the ceremony’s “In Memoriam” segment after he died by suicide last December.

“My husband @jamesransone was not acknowledged in memoriam at tonight’s Emmys,” McPhee wrote on her Instagram Stories on Monday night, referring to her husband by his nickname, PJ. “He was also not at the Oscars earlier this year. PJ was impossible, lovable, intolerable and incredible — depends on who you ask. But without question — he was a great actor.”

Jamie McPhee on Instagram.

Skipper McPhee/Instagram

McPhee indicated that Ransone wouldn’t have minded the exclusion. “But good news is PJ wouldn’t care,” she wrote. “He’d actually think it’s funny.”

McPhee shared a second post on Tuesday afternoon that further expressed her dismay. “I didn’t watch the Emmys so l only now understand how much of a snub this truly was,” she wrote as she shared a video of Noah Kahan’s performance of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” that accompanied the “In Memoriam” segment at the ceremony.

Jamie McPhee on Instagram.

Skipper McPhee/Instagram/NBC

“I am incredibly disappointed @televisionacad,” she wrote. “@Jamesransone was an incredibly gifted actor and it simply is not right to not acknowledge him and his work.”

Reached for comment, a spokesperson for the Television Academy provided a statement to ** that said, “Every year, the Emmy Awards presents an In Memoriam video for all three ceremonies. Given only a few minutes to honor those who have passed, there is a limit on how many people can be acknowledged on the broadcasts. The Academy presents a more extensive video, listing the hundreds of names of television colleagues we’ve lost in the past year on their website.”

Ransone is listed among the hundreds of recently deceased industry figures in the expanded video, which can be viewed here.

See all the winners at the 2026 Emmy Awards

Everything you missed behind the scenes at the 2026 Emmys

Ransone was best known for playing Ziggy Sobotka on season 2 of *The Wire*. He also played a key role in *It: Chapter 2*, appeared as a supporting character in Sean Baker’s *Tangerine*, and acted in *Sinister* and its sequel.

McPhee paid tribute to her late husband on what would have been his 47th birthday in June.

“Happy Birthday PJ,” she wrote in her caption of a photo from the actor’s 40th birthday that a friend, Andy, sent her. “Was such a great party even with a newborn Baby Jack sound asleep. I told A that 3 hours before you said - no one is coming - and I laughed. Classic PJ he said. Ha. You have no idea how much we all miss you.”

James Ransone in 2019.

Jon Kopaloff/Getty

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our****** EW Dispatch newsletter******.***

Ransone, who had a history of making controversial statements online, was also excluded from the “In Memoriam” segment at the Oscars in March. The exclusion led his friend Scott Derrickson, who directed Ransone in *Sinister* as well as *The Black Phone*, to speak out about the snub.

“He was a complex, funny, talented, and undeniably reckless person. He was wildly alive and deeply loved,” Derrickson said. “I know he said some infuriating things online, but the last time I saw him, he cried with regret for all of that. ‘I didn’t mean to hurt anyone’s feelings,’ he said. Please don’t trash him here. He is dearly missed.”

*If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at** 988lifeline.org** 24/7.*

- Awards Shows & Events

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Emmys”