Eric Dane Opens Up About Hospitalization During ALS Struggle.
Eric Dane missed TV's greatest night because of his battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The actor gave an explanation for his last-minute absence from the September Emmys 2025, stating that he was in the hospital receiving treatment and could not present an award with Grey's Anatomy co-star Jesse Williams as originally planned.
“ALS is a nasty disease," in an interview with The Washington Post on October 2, he discussed Lou Gehrig's illness, a neurological condition. "So, I was in the hospital during the Emmys getting stitches put in my head."
As a result, Eric revealed, “I missed an opportunity I was really looking forward to."
Register for Tekedia Mini-MBA edition 19 (Feb 9 – May 2, 2026): big discounts for early bird.
Tekedia AI in Business Masterclass opens registrations.
Join Tekedia Capital Syndicate and co-invest in great global startups.
Register for Tekedia AI Lab: From Technical Design to Deployment (next edition begins Jan 24 2026).
"It would have been great to see Jesse and get reunited with some of my peers, and to be able to present in front of my colleagues I thought would have a been special moment," the fifty-two-year-old went on. "I was a really upset about it, but you know, there was nothing I could do about it."
Nevertheless, when Jesse presented Slow Horses' Adam Randall solo with the Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series award during the presentation, he was thinking about Eric.
"We had a really great run," during the 2025 Emmys, Jesse talked about his and Eric's time on Grey's Anatomy. "We had a great following, and I loved working with him."
The 44-year-old went on to say, "On and off screen, that's my brother."
In trying times, Eric also knows he can count on his wife, Rebecca Gayheart, and their two kids, Georgia, 13, and Billie, 15.
"I call Rebecca," in June, he said this to Diane Sawyer of Good Morning America. "I talk to her every day. We have managed to become better friends and better parents, and she is probably my biggest champion and my most stalwart supporter, and I lean on her."
Even though his fight with ALS can occasionally be incapacitating, Eric has no intention of letting his profession suffer. "I am going to ride this till the wheels fall off," he said earlier this year.
"My spirit is always pretty buoyant," the star of Countdown also said, "so at the end of the day, that's all that matters."
