Chuck Norris Former Costar Slams Emmys In Memoriam Snub as 'Tragic Mistake'

Chuck Norris' former costar is calling out the Emmys for failing to include the late TV star in the In Memoriam segment ... telling us it was a "tragic mistake" and calling on producers to do better.

Judson Mills worked closely with Chuck during the final 3 seasons of the 9-season hit television series "Walker, Texas Ranger." He says of Chuck's snub ... "Tragic mistake. And I have to assume it was just a terrible mistake. But my first thought was Gena and the family. And his fans."

Judson cuts the Emmys some slack .... "I'm confident Chuck would encourage forgiveness. He was an 'it's not all about me' kind of guy."

Still, he adds ... "But for an icon of his stature who impacted not only Hollywood, but the entire world, to see him not receive recognition at all and to see the family not receive that recognition was disappointing."

Judson feels for Chuck's family ... saying the snub "must have hurt on some level." He says, "It hurt my feelings for sure. He was a legend for God's sake."

As we previously reported ... Chuck wasn't the only notable celeb excluded from the 2026 Emmys' In Memoriam segment -- where Noah Kahan sang Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water."

Worth noting ... the Emmys did include Chuck on their online portion of the In Memoriam -- still, to Judson, not being featured in the broadcast was just downright tragic.

Others excluded from the touching tribute included Daveigh Chase, Nicholas Brendon, Tom Kane, Patrick Muldoon and more. One of Chase's friends also spoke out against the Television Academy, telling us ... "These f***ing Emmys snubbed Daveigh from the In Memoriam. Awful."

The tribute did honor several major names lost over the past year ... including Dolly Parton, Hayden Panettiere, Catherine O'Hara and Rob Reiner ... but you can't please everyone.