Eric Dane was set to present at the 2025 Emmy Awards, but pulled out for an undisclosed reason as his Grey's Anatomy co-star, Jesse Williams presented alone. The 52-year-old actor announced that he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, in April this year. Eric was due to appear onstage at the awards show for a segment celebrating 20 years of Shonda Rhimes’ long-running medical show. His former co-star Jesse instead presented the award for Directing for a Drama Series solo, and he didn’t mention either Eric or the hit ABC series.
On the red carpet, Jesse told Entertainment Tonight that he was looking forward to the tribute. "I had a really wonderful time working with [Eric] in particular. But the show has just had and continues to have a really remarkable, emotional, intellectual impact on people all over the globe."
He also referred to Eric as "my guy," and added, "He’s solid. The man’s just solid, and we have to be careful, you know, as men to still, you know, take care of ourselves and he’s got a perfect balance going."
© FilmMagic for HBOEric revealed the news about his diagnosis in an interview with People earlier this year, saying "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,” he continued.
The actor began experiencing symptoms of ALS in early 2024. He also shared when he appeared on Good Morning America in June 2025, that he completely lost the function of his right arm and hand.
In June this year, the star made an appearance on the red carpet, his first public outing since announcing the ALS diagnosis.
© AFP via Getty ImagesThe Euphoria star was joined by his girlfriend, Janell Shirtcliff, for their first official outing as a couple at the season one premiere of his new Amazon Prime series, Countdown.
His former wife, actress Rebecca Gayheart, filed divorce papers in 2018 after 14 years of marriage, and she and Eric have been separated ever since, co-parenting their two teenage daughters, Billie and Georgia.
On March 7, 2025, Rebecca reportedly filed to request a dismissal of the divorce petition against Dane after seven years of separation.
