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Fans of late actress Michelle Trachtenberg voiced their anger after the actress, who died at 39 Wednesday, was omitted from the In Memoriam segment of Sunday’s Oscars, calling the snub disgusting and disrespectful.
Commenters also singled out the Academy for leaving out late entertainers Tony Todd, Shannen Doherty, Martin Mull and Linda Lavin from the tribute to those in the industry who had passed away since last year’s event.
‘Did they really not even include Michelle Trachtenberg in the “In Memoriam” for tonight’s Oscars??? That’s icky,’ said one user of the actress, who died last week at 39 after having stepped back from show business in recent years.
Said one viewer: ‘It’s shameful that the #Oscars didn’t include Michelle Trachtenberg in their memorial montage of all the actors/actresses who have passed within the year!!!!’
Another user said, ‘Ohhh…F*** YOU #Oscars for not putting Michelle Trachtenberg in the memorial.’ while one upset viewer wrote, ‘NO MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG?!?!?? Go to Hell #Oscars.’
One user admitted they were surprised at the omission: ‘Did they really not even include Michelle Trachtenberg in the “In Memoriam” for tonight’s Oscars??? That’s icky.’
Fans of late actress Michelle Trachtenberg voiced their anger after the actress, who died at 39 Wednesday, was omitted from the In Memoriam segment of Sunday’s Oscars , calling the snub disgusting and disrespectful. Pictured in LA in 2017
Commenters also singled out the Academy for leaving out late entertainers Tony Todd, Shannen Doherty, Martin Mull and Linda Lavin from the tribute to those in the industry who had passed away since last year’s event
The former child star, who appeared in the 1996 Harriet the Spy hit movie and went on to co-star in two buzzy millennial-era TV shows – Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Gossip Girl died in New York Wednesday.
Police responded to a 911 call shortly after 8 a.m. at a 51-story luxury apartment tower in Manhattan´s Hell´s Kitchen neighborhood where officers found Trachtenberg ‘unconscious and unresponsive,’ according to an NYPD statement.
Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene, officials said, adding that no foul play was suspected.
Despite the recent passing and her appearance in multiple movies, she was not mentioned in the somber segment – and fans let the Academy know they felt.
One user said, ‘Michelle trachtenberg not being mentioned in the in memoriam section of the oscars is upsetting , you are and will remain so so loved and admired michelle.’
One upset viewer wrote, ‘NO MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG?!?!?? Go to Hell #Oscars.’
A fan said that it was so sad the actress was left out of the emotional segment, adding that she ‘deserved her flowers!!!’
‘Why was michelle trachtenberg not honored at the oscars memoriam?????’ one user said. Another added, ‘Oh f*** yall for not including michelle trachtenberg. so disrespectful #Oscars.’
The former child star, who appeared in the 1996 Harriet the Spy hit movie and went on to co-star in two buzzy millennial-era TV shows – Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Gossip Girl died in New York Wednesday. Pictured in 2020
One user added, ‘Like hello. even a simple black screen with her name would’ve sufficed?’
A fan posted a shot of reality star NeNe Leakes with the caption ‘where was Michelle Trachtenberg in the in Memoriam,’ while another posted an image of a young Trachtenberg performing in the film Harriet the Spy, calling the snub a ‘huge oversight’
One user pushed back on any narrative that organizers failed to include Trachtenberg because they didn’t have enough time to prepare.
‘Why didn’t they include Michelle Trachtenberg in the In Memoriam?’ the user said. ‘It wouldn’t be due to time constraints because they added Gene Hackman who died one day after her. #Oscars RIP Michelle!’
Trachtenberg´s family objected to an autopsy, the New York City´s Office of Chief Medical Examiner said Thursday.
Because there was no evidence of criminality, the medical examiner´s office honored the objection, limiting its findings. Such objections are allowed by law. The cause and manner of her death are listed as undetermined.
‘The family requests privacy for their loss,’ Trachtenberg’s representative, Gary Mantoosh, said in a statement Wednesday.
Trachtenberg was 8 when she began playing Nona Mecklenberg on Nickelodeon´s The Adventures of Pete & Pete from 1994 to 1996 and then starred in the title role in the film adaptations of ‘Harriet the Spy and ‘Inspector Gadget,’ opposite Matthew Broderick.
‘Michelle comes off as genuine because she really is a genuine kid. Everyone can identify with her,’ said Debby Beece, president of Nickelodeon Movies in 1996.
In 2000 Trachtenberg joined the cast of ‘Buffy,’ playing Dawn Summers, the younger sister of the title character played by Sarah Michelle Gellar between 2000 and 2003.
A user wrote ‘like hello. even a simple black screen with her name would’ve sufficed?’
Commenters expressed their ire after the Academy omitted the actress from the segment
Fans took to X/Twitter to vent their frustration at the omission of the star from the segment
Trachtenberg thanked Gellar for speaking out against Joss Whedon in 2021, following abuse allegations made against the ‘Buffy’ showrunner. ‘I am brave enough now as a 35-year-old woman to repost this,’ she wrote on social media, and alluded to ‘his not appropriate behavior’ she experienced as a teenage actor.
In 2001, she received a Daytime Emmy nomination for hosting Discovery´s ‘Truth or Scare.’ Trachtenberg went on to recurring roles on ‘Six Feet Under,’ ‘Weeds’ and ‘Gossip Girl,’ where she played the gang´s scheming nemesis, Georgina Sparks.
For her fan-favorite role, she was nominated as a TV villain at the Teen Choice Award in 2012. ‘It´s definitely a lot more fun than playing the good girl,’ she told Seventeen in 2009. I love the reaction you get. I never understood why some actors don´t want to play villains or evil characters.’
She was one of the original series’ stars to return for a pair of guest appearances in the 2021 ‘Gossip Girl’ revival.
Blake Lively on Instagram on Tuesday honored her Gossip Girl costar: ‘The world lost a deeply sensitive and good person in Michelle. May her work and her huge heart be remembered by those who were lucky enough to experience her fire.’
As if to cement herself in millennial culture, Trachtenberg made a cameo in Fall Out Boy´s music video for the This Ain´t a Scene, It´s an Arms Race alongside Seth Green.
Hollywood took to social media to mourn one of their own, one who had made the transition from kid star to teen queen to adult actor.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer costar David Boreanaz said on Instagram it was ‘so very sad.. horrible news.’
Melissa Gilbert, who starred with Trachtenberg in the 1996 film ‘A Holiday for Love,’ wrote on Instagram: ‘My heart aches for your family and all those who loved you so.’
One fan said that the Academy leaving the actress out of the segment was ‘shameful’
Fans also vented their displeasure at the omission of actor Tony Todd from the segment
A fan posted a shot of reality star NeNe Leakes with the caption ‘where was Michelle Trachtenberg in the in Memoriam’
A fan posted an image of the actress performing in the film Harriet the Spy, calling the snub a ‘huge oversight’
Rosie O´Donnell, who starred alongside Trachtenberg in her ‘Harriet the Spy’ debut, said her death was ‘heartbreaking:’ ‘I loved her very much. She struggled the last few years. I wish I could have helped.’
Glee star Chris Colfer remembered her this way: ‘Michelle was the absolute sweetest and one of the most supportive people I knew,’ he wrote.
Trachtenberg’s later credits included ‘Ice Princess’ in 2005, playing a math prodigy and aspiring figure skater.
The AP said it had ‘a good, though feeble, heart and the best of intentions’ and said Trachtenberg was ‘mining the same nervous twitter from her kid-sister days on ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”
The New York City-born Trachtenberg also appeared in the 2004 teen sex comedy EuroTrip, she co-starred with Zac Efron and Leslie Mann in 2009’s 17 Again and played a murderous stalker and abductor on an episode of Criminal Minds.
For ‘Killing Kennedy,’ the 2013 film in which she played the wife of Lee Harvey Oswald, around 80% of Trachtenberg´s dialogue was in Russian. She had learned the language from her mother growing up.
Other credits included supporting roles in the films ‘Mysterious Skin’ in 2004 and ‘Black Christmas’ in 2006. She also starred on the NBC medical series ‘Mercy’ (2009-2010) opposite Taylor Schilling. More recently, she hosted the true-crime docuseries ‘Meet, Marry, Murder’ on Tubi.
Oscar winners 2025 full list – see who received honors for this year’s Academy Awards
Best Picture
Anora – WINNER
The Brutalist
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
I’m Still Here
Nickel Boys
The Substance
Wicked
Emilia Pérez leads this year’s Oscar nominees with 13, including for best picture, actress, supporting actress and director
Best Director
Jacques Audiard — Emilia Pérez
Sean Baker — Anora – WINNER
Brady Corbet — The Brutalist
Coralie Fargeat — The Substance
James Mangold — A Complete Unknown
Actress in a Leading Role
Cynthia Erivo — Wicked
Karla Sofía Gascón — Emilia Pérez
Mikey Madison — Anora – WINNER
Demi Moore — The Substance
Fernanda Torres — I’m Still Here
The Substance has been nominated for numerous Oscars, including Best Actress for Demi Moore
Actor in a Leading Role
Adrien Brody — The Brutalist – WINNER
Timothée Chalamet — A Complete Unknown
Colman Domingo — Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes — Conclave
Sebastian Stan — The Apprentice
The Brutalist came in second place with 10 nods, including for best picture, actor (Adrien Brody), supporting actor (Guy Peare) and supporting actress (Felicity Jones)
Actress in a Supporting Role
Monica Barbaro — A Complete Unknown
Ariana Grande — Wicked
Felicity Jones — The Brutalist
Isabella Rossellini — Conclave
Zoe Saldaña — Emilia Pérez – WINNER
Actor in a Supporting Role
Yura Borisov — Anora
Kieran Culkin — A Real Pain – WINNER
Edward Norton — A Complete Unknown
Guy Pearce — The Brutalist
Jeremy Strong — The Apprentice
Animated Feature Film
Flow – WINNER
Inside Out 2
Memoir of a Snail
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
The Wild Robot
Cinematography
The Brutalist — Lol Crawley – WINNER
Dune: Part Two — Greig Fraser
Emilia Pérez — Paul Guilhaume
Maria — Ed Lachman
Nosferatu — Jarin Blaschke
Original Screenplay
Anora — Sean Baker – WINNER
The Brutalist — Brady Corbet & Mona Fastvold
A Real Pain — Jesse Eisenberg
September 5 — Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum; co-Written by Alex David
The Substance — Coralie Fargeat
Adapted Screenplay
A Complete Unknown — James Mangold and Jay Cocks
Conclave — Peter Straughan – WINNER
Emilia Pérez — Jacques Audiard with Thomas Bidegain, Léa Mysius and Nicolas Livecchi
Nickel Boys — RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes
Sing Sing — Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar; Story by Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence Maclin, John ‘Divine G’ Whitfield
Achievement in Production Design
The Brutalist
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Nosferatu
Wicked – Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales – WINNER
Achievement in Sound
A Complete Unknown
Dune: Part Two – WINNER
Emilia Pérez
Wicked
The Wild Robot
Original Song
El Mal – Emilia Pérez – Clément Ducol, Camille, and Jacques Audiard – WINNER
The Journey – The Six Triple Eight
Like A Bird – Sing Sing
Mi Camino – Emilia Pérez
Never Too Late – Elton John: Never Too Late
Original Score
The Brutalist — Daniel Blumberg – WINNER
Conclave — Volker Bertelmann
Emilia Pérez — Clément Ducol and Camille
Wicked — John Powell and Stephen Schwartz
The Wild Robot — Kris Bowers
Live-Action Short Film
A Lien
Anuja
I’m Not a Robot – WINNER
The Last Ranger
The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent
Animated Short Film
Beautiful Men
In the Shadow of the Cypress – WINNER
Magic Candies
Wander to Wonder
Yuck!
Documentary Feature Film
Black Box Diaries
No Other Land – WINNER
Porcelain War
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
Sugarcane
Flow is nominated for both International Feature Film and Animated Feature Film
Documentary Short Film
Death by Numbers
I Am Ready, Warden
Incident
Instruments of a Beating Heart
The Only Girl in the Orchestra – WINNER
International Feature Film
I’m Still Here (Brazil) – WINNER
The Girl With the Needle (Denmark)
Emilia Pérez (France)
The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Germany)
Flow (Latvia)
Kieran Culkin has dominated the supporting actor categories in recent weeks for Jesse Eisenberg’s drama A Real Pain
Makeup and Hairstyling
A Different Man
Emilia Pérez
Nosferatu
The Substance – Pierre Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon, and Marilyne Scarselli – WINNER
Wicked
Achievement in Costume Design
A Complete Unknown — Arianne Phillips
Conclave — Lisy Christl
Gladiator II — Janty Yates and Dave Crossman
Nosferatu — Linda Muir
Wicked — Paul Tazewell – WINNER
Achievement in Film Editing
Anora — Sean Baker – WINNER
The Brutalist — David Jancso
Conclave — Nick Emerson
Emilia Pérez — Juliette Welfling
Wicked — Myron Kerstein
Anora is nominated for several Oscars, including best picture, actress, supporting actor, director, screenplay and editing
Visual Effects
Alien: Romulus
Better Man
Dune: Part Two – WINNER
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Wicked
