When the Primetime Emmy Awards aired on the 2025 TV schedule, the audience was treated to a number of cast reunions. As covered diligently on our Emmys blog (which includes a full winners list), we saw a Gilmore Girls reunion, Law & Order stars came together, and there was a musical tribute to The Golden Girls. One segment, however, didn’t go as planned, but while I’m sad Grey’s Anatomy wasn’t honored the way it was intended, I still love what Jesse Williams had to say about his “plastics posse” partner, Eric Dane.
Grey’s Anatomy Tribute Scrapped After Eric Dane Misses Emmy Awards
Jesse Williams and Eric Dane were supposed to reunite at the Emmys on Sunday to celebrate Shonda Rhimes and 20 years of Grey’s Anatomy before presenting the award for Directing for a Drama Series. When the time came, however, only Williams took the stage, skipping the tribute and going straight to the award. It sounds like this change of plans happened pretty quickly, as Emmys producer Jessie Collins told ET:
We got the message halfway through — or not halfway, early on — that he wasn’t going to be able to make it. I never got what it was. So we called Jesse, and Jesse said he would just do it by himself.
No reason was apparently given to the producers about why Eric Dane was unable to attend, and as of this writing, the Euphoria actor’s team had not made a statement.
Back in April, Dane revealed that he’d been diagnosed with ALS. He said he still planned to continue acting for as long as he could — appearing in the crime drama Countdown and the highly anticipated Euphoria Season 3 — but in June he revealed he’d lost use of his right arm.
It’s unknown if his absence was related to his diagnosis, and as disappointed as I am to not see the ABC medical drama celebrated by two fan-favorite alumni, I’m really just hoping the best for Eric Dane. The same seems to go for Jesse Williams, who had nothing but great things to say about his former co-star.
Jesse Williams Calls Eric Dane His ‘Brother’ Ahead Of Emmy Awards
Eric Dane’s absence really must have been a last-minute call, because when Jesse Williams appeared on the red carpet, there was no indication that the Grey’s Anatomy reunion wasn’t happening. Williams — who played Jackson Avery from Seasons 6 to 17 — recalled his time working with Dane — aka Mark Sloan, aka McSteamy, who was introduced in Season 2 and stands as one of Grey’s Anatomy’s most shocking deaths for his early Season 9 demise.
Jesse Williams told E! News on the red carpet:
We had a really great run. The plastics posse had a great following, and I loved working with him on- and off-screen. That’s my brother.
The praise continued with ET, as Jesse Williams referenced Eric Dane’s ALS diagnosis, saying:
I had a really wonderful time working with him [Eric Dane] in particular. … He’s solid. The man’s just solid, and we have to be careful as men to still, you know, take care of ourselves and he’s got a perfect balance going. That’s my guy.
Our best wishes go out to Eric Dane, and hopefully the seemingly last-minute Emmys cancellation wasn’t for anything too serious. Grey’s Anatomy fans can relive the days of Jackson Avery and Mark Sloan by streaming the series with a Hulu subscription or Netflix subscription.
Meanwhile Season 22 is set to premiere at 10 p.m. ET Thursday, October 9, on ABC and streaming the next day on Hulu.
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