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As expected, the 2026 Oscars featured plenty of memorable moments, including big wins for Michael B. Jordan, Jessie Buckley, and One Battle After Another.
But across social media, one of the most buzzed-about moments had nothing to do with the awards themselves.
The annual “in memoriam” segment was longer and more personal than usual, thanks to tributes to Rob Reiner, Diane Keaton, and Robert Redford from people who knew them best.
As you likely recall, Reiner and his wife were stabbed to death in their home in December of 2025.
As one of the most beloved figures in Hollywood history, the filmmaker naturally received a stirring tribute during last night’s ceremony.
Friend Billy Crystal noted that his career might not have happened were it not for Reiner, and several other stars — including Jerry O’Connell, John Cusack, and Mandy Patinkin — also took the stage to honor the late director.
But the tender moment was not without controversy.
For one thing, there was the usual criticism about which late stars were left out of the in memoriam segment.
James Van Der Beek, Eric Dane, Malcolm Jamal Warner, Robert Carradine, June Lockhart, Harold and Maude star Bud Cort, and Brigitte Bardot were among those who were left out.
Many also cited Gene Hackman, but he was honored at the previous year’s ceremony.
The Reiner tribute also generated controversy with regard to living stars who were not invited to participate.
Corey Feldman — who starred in Reiner’s Stand By Me, along with Cusack — took to social media to complain about his omission.
“I just want to briefly mention this Oscars thing! Yes, it’s true that I was not invited,” Feldman wroteon X(formerly Twitter) last week.
“I understand many believe it’s due to being outspoken about the abuse I suffered as a child and the campaign to silence me. However, this isn’t about me. It’s not my moment at all. It’s about the tragic loss of our friend Rob Reiner and his memory.”
Elsewhere in the segment, Barbra Streisand crooned a few bars of “The Way We Were” to honor the late Robert Redford, and Rachel McAdams recalled her favorite memories of Diane Keaton and Catherine O’Hara.
All-in-all, the in memoriam was a stirring tribute to some of the iconic talents that we lost in 2025 and the early months of 2026.
Sadly, such segments are usually limited to little more than five to ten minutes, meaning not every fallen star can be included.
The reasoning behind such decisions might not always be apparent to us, but we’re glad that so many icons were memorialized on Hollywood’s biggest night.