The 72nd annual Emmy Awards honored many late stars during its In Memoriam segment, but fans noticed that they failed to include Kobe Bryant, Kelly Preston and Nick Cordero.
During the 2020 ceremony held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, September 20, H.E.R. gave a powerful performance of “Nothing Compares 2 U” by Prince. The 23-year-old musician’s rendition played out as a photo montage of several major celebrities was shown, each being remembered for their legacies.
Photos of Chadwick Boseman, Naya Rivera, Regis Philbin, Jerry Stiller and Kirk Douglas were featured in the touching four-minute-long tribute. However, viewers wasted no time calling out the prestigious TV ceremony for not including Bryant, Preston and Cordero.
![Kobe Bryant Kelly Preston Nick Cordero Left Out of Emmys 2020 In Memoriam](/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Kobe-Bryant-Kelly-Preston-Nick-Cordero-Left-Out-of-Emmys-2020-In-Memoriam.jpg?w=1000&quality=40&strip=all)
“Not to even mention a flash of these honorable humans @kobebryant #nickcordero #kellypreston is a disgrace,” one person tweeted, while another wrote, “The emmys left out Kobe in the memoriam tribute…..? They were literally IN the staples center HIS HOME ? Disappointed.”
A third individual questioned why “so many key stars [were] left out of the ‘In Memoriam’ segment” this year including Bryant, Preston, Cordero and Kenny Rogers, who “was a 3-time Emmy nominee.” Another social media user argued that Cordero should have been included because “he was an actor on Bluebloods,” while a fifth person tweeted that Preston was “better known for film, but she made appearances on television shows and deserved to be included” in the segment.
“If you’re the organizers of the #Emmys could you not have given 5 seconds of time and included Kelly Preston for the In Memoriam segment?” another person tweeted. “Could have also had a quick nod to Kobe Bryant. Yes, he was in sports and not a TV show per se, but he and the #Lakers were on TV a whole lot.”
In January, Bryant tragically died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, alongside his daughter, Gianna, and seven other passengers. The NBA legend and his second eldest daughter were later honored in both a private memorial and a public one held at the Staples Center, where he played during his Los Angeles Lakers career. He was 41.
Preston unexpectedly died in July at age 57 following a secret two-year battle with breast cancer. Her husband, John Travolta, wrote via Instagram at the time that the late actress’ “love and life will always be remembered” in the years to come.
Meanwhile, Cordero also died in July after enduring a months-long fight with the novel coronavirus. The Broadway star’s wife, Amanda Kloots, paid tribute to him earlier this month on what would have been his 42nd birthday.