Zach Braff calls out Emmys for leaving Nick Cordero out of 'In Memoriam' segment

If you were watching the powerful In Memoriam performance by H.E.R. on Sunday night at the virtual Emmys, you may have noticed that a very heartbreaking 2020 death was not included among names like Chadwick Boseman, Regis Philbin and Naya Rivera. Nick Cordero, who passed away from coronavirus complications on July 5, was not among those honoured.Now, the late man’s bestie, Zach Braff, is clarifying the situation and calling out the Emmys for failing to include the actor. “For those wondering: The Emmys chose to leave Nick Cordero out of the memorial montage,” he shared on Twitter the morning after the virtual show. “I had no idea one had to campaign to get their loved one in. We did. They passed.”

For those wondering: The Emmys chose to leave Nick Cordero out of the memorial montage. I had no idea one had to campaign to get their loved one in. We did. They passed.

— Zach Braff (@zachbraff) September 21, 2020

Cordero, a Canadian, starred alongside Braff in Bullets Over Broadway in 2014. They had been good friends ever since, and during Cordero’s months-long battle he offered the man’s wife, Amanda Kloots, as well as their infant son Elvis, a place to stay in California. Following Cordero’s death, Braff promised that he would take care of Cordero’s family for the rest of his life.Although Cordero was mainly known for his roles on Broadway, he also had several TV roles over the years including gigs with Blue Bloods, Law & Order: SVU, and most recently, Mob Town. According to the Emmys, though, those contributions weren’t enough to include in the montage.[video_embed id='-1']RELATED: Hollywood mourns death of Broadway star Nick Cordero[/video_embed]“They did want me to pass along this note: Those involved in the In Memoriam selection process are very aware of the sad passing of Mr. Cordero due to coronavirus and we assure her that his name has been given every consideration for inclusion,” shared Braff in a follow-up post. “With so many people passing in any given year, we simply cannot ensure any particular individual is included, nor do we release the names of those included prior to the telecast.” Needless to say, people didn’t seem to be too impressed with the decision.

I think this is one of the most vile things I’ve read all day. And that’s saying a lot these days.

— Jennifer Esposito (@JennifersWayJE) September 22, 2020

That was totally cruel to his family and fans to intentionally exclude him, especially as so many were praying for his recovery during this horrible ordeal. Shame on them.

— Cathy Santarsiero (@ChristmasCorgi) September 21, 2020

Braff also called out the exclusion of his 'Scrubs' co-star Sam Lloyd, who passed away in April from lung cancer.

I should mention too, that they also left out Sam Lloyd. I would have never even considered “campaigning” for Sam because he had more TV credits than most actors I know. pic.twitter.com/roIp4IVtBc

— Zach Braff (@zachbraff) September 21, 2020

Cordero wasn’t the only notable person left off of this year’s list: many fans were also upset that Kobe Bryant and Kelly Preston didn’t make the final cut. Meanwhile, Braff also spoke out following Cordero’s death to clarify that coronavirus itself didn’t kill his friend: complications from the virus did.“Just for clarity sake, he didn't have COVID anymore,” he stated in July. “What COVID did to Nick is what it does to a lot of people—it comes and wreaks havoc on your body and then leaves. You're left with, what the doctors call, lungs that look like Swiss cheese,” he added.“They said it looked like he had been a heavy smoker his entire life. And he was on every machine they could put him on, and towards the end, they were all on full. He'd have days where he was doing okay and everyone would get excited—and then it would all kind of go back to zero. The machines were really, truly keeping him alive.”[video_embed id='2040369']Before you go: How can we make COVID-19 testing faster and easier?[/video_embed]