Eric Dane Misses 2025 Emmys Due to Heartbreaking ALS Battle

Eric Dane, the beloved star of Euphoria, was poised to make a much-anticipated return at the 2025 Emmy Awards, but he was notably absent from the event on Sunday, September 14, in Los Angeles.

The 52-year-old actor has been fighting amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and although he was set to reunite with Grey's Anatomy costar Jesse Williams, plans changed.

Dane, who portrayed Mark Sloan in the long-running medical drama, was confirmed to present at the Emmys just one week prior, marking his first major outing since the red carpet premiere of his show Countdown in June. His absence raised concerns among fans and colleagues alike.

Instead, Williams, 44, took to the stage solo without Dane. Before the ceremony, he had expressed enthusiasm about their reunion.

"It's really wonderful," he said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight on the red carpet. "I had a really wonderful time working with him, in particular, but the show has had — everywhere I go — the show has had, and continues to have, a really remarkable, emotional, intellectual impact on people all over the globe."

The actor publicly shared his ALS diagnosis in April, stating, "I am grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter. I feel fortunate that I am able to continue working and am looking forward to returning to [the] set of Euphoria next week. I kindly ask that you give my family and I privacy during this time."

In a candid interview with Diane Sawyer for Good Morning America, Dane opened up about his struggles. "I started experiencing some weakness in my right hand. I didn't really think anything of it at the time; I thought maybe I'd been texting too much and my hand was fatigued," he recounted.

"A few weeks later, I noticed it'd gotten a little worse. I went and saw a hand specialist, who sent me to another hand specialist. I went and saw a neurologist, and the neurologist sent me to another neurologist and said, 'This is way above my pay grade,'" he added.

He shared that he was beginning to lose function in his right arm.

"My left side is functioning. My right side, [which is my dominant side], has completely stopped working. [My left arm] is going. I feel like maybe a couple, a few more months and I won't have my left… I'm worried about my legs," he revealed.

Dane's journey through fame began in the early 2000s when he captivated audiences as Dr. Mark "McSteamy" Sloane on Grey's Anatomy. Although he left the show after his character's onscreen death in 2012, Dane has continuously sought new challenges in his career.