Did the 78th Annual Emmy Awards on Monday deliberately snub a Hollywood legend over politics?
Monday's awards show on NBC was far less political than previous years, but audiences nonetheless wondered why the ceremony's "In Memoriam" segment failed to mention the Walker, Texas Ranger star.
Norris passed away in March of this year. A long list of stars who died this year, from Rob Reiner to Tim Curry, were honored by The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Norris never appeared on the screen. Norris starred in CBS's hit show Walker, Texas Ranger from 1993-2001, making his absence inexplicable.
After the show, Variety published the list of performers "omitted in the interest of time":
Despite a tribute to “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” earlier in the show, in which it was mentioned that it had been a “tough two years,” Nicholas Brendon‘s name was not included on the screen. This year, fans also called out names like “Walker Texas Ranger” star Chuck Norris, “Days of Our Lives” and “Starship Troopers” actor Patrick Muldoon, “The Gong Show” panelist Jaye P. Morgan, “The Ring” actress Daveigh Chase and “30 Rock” performer Grizz Chapman as not being recognized during the Emmys’ official In Memoriam segment.
While the exclusion of many names on Variety's list is regrettable, Norris's omission is beyond the pale. How "in the interest of time" could the segment exclude a Hollywood legend who had a hit show for almost a decade? As opposed to barely-known casting directors, for example?
As John Nolte at Breitbart noted, "As you can see, in its not-so-subtle way, the far-left Variety is deliberately snubbing and downplaying Chuck Norris by piling him in the middle of a bunch of television names that do not even come close to the star power, fame, public adulation, and success on television that Norris enjoyed."
Was Norris blacklisted because he was a proud and active conservative Republican throughout his life? He was also publicly Christian, but so was Dolly Parton and the Emmys did not shy away from her faith. Parton preferred to stay out of politics.
This is not the first awards ceremony to snub a departed icon who publicly expressed right-wing political views. This year's Academy Awards snubbed French film legend Brigitte Bardot. Bardot had spoken out against the effects of Islamic immigration in France.
Maybe the Emmy crew ignored Chuck Norris because the martial-arts megastar was just too strong for the weak men of Hollywood.
