Eric Dane was scheduled to present at the 2025 Emmy Awards alongside Grey’s Anatomy costar Jesse Williams, but he dropped out of the telecast before he was set to take the stage.
Speaking to reporters after the show wrapped Sunday in Los Angeles, Emmys producer Jesse Collins said alongside fellow colleagues Dionne Harmon and Jeannae Rouzan-Clay that he didn’t know the details surrounding the actor’s absence.
“I just was told that he wasn’t able to make it,” Collins said (via Variety). “And fortunately, Jesse was able to present by himself.”
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The plan was to reunite Dane, who announced in April that he has been diagnosed with ALS, and Williams to reference the 20th anniversary of Grey‘s. It was not an elaborate tribute, the producers said. “There wasn’t a set or anything, though,” Rouzan-Clay said. “It was just a celebration with the two of them.”
Collins told Entertainment Tonight that they were informed “early on” that Dane “wasn’t gonna be able to make it.” In turn, the producers opted to scrap the Grey’s reference.
Reps for Dane didn’t immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly‘s request for comment on Monday.
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Dane, 52, has spoken candidly about his journey with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a neurodegenerative disease that affects the motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. He told Diane Sawyer in June that his right arm has stopped functioning while his left one has been getting weaker. “I feel like maybe a couple more months and I won’t have my left hand either,” he said. “It’s sobering.”
The actor said he was determined to keep working amid his diagnosis. “It always feels great to be on a set. It’s great to be employed,” Dane said at the Los Angeles premiere of his latest series, Countdown, over the summer. “I love what I give. I’m going to keep doing it.”
On the Emmys red carpet before he hit the stage to present solo for best directing for a drama series, Williams sang the praises of his former costar. “I loved working with him,” Williams said of Danes. “On and off screen, that’s my brother.”
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