James Ransone Was Left Out Of The Emmy In Memoriam Again And His Widow Said It Is Simply Not Right
James Ransone, the character actor beloved for playing Ziggy Sobotka in HBO's The Wire and Eddie Kaspbrak in It Chapter Two, died by suicide in December 2025 at age 46.
His widow Jamie "Skipper" McPhee noticed immediately when his name was absent from the Emmy Awards' In Memoriam segment Monday night. By Tuesday she had seen the tribute for herself and gone public with her frustration.
"I am incredibly disappointed @televisionacad," she wrote on Instagram Stories, tagging the Television Academy directly. "James Ransone was an incredibly gifted actor and it simply is not right to not acknowledge him and his work."
She also noted he had been absent from the Oscars' In Memoriam earlier in the year, the second major awards show to skip him.
The Television Academy acknowledged the omission and explained that the broadcast tribute runs only a few minutes and cannot include everyone.
Ransone's name does appear in a more extensive online memorial on their website. The explanation did not satisfy McPhee. She did close with the kind of bittersweet note that told you exactly who her husband was: "But good news is PJ wouldn't care. He'd actually think it's funny."
Ransone also appeared in Generation Kill, Sinister and The Black Phone. He was 46 years old.
If you or someone you know is struggling, please call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
