Eric Dane appears in ALS campaign video after missing planned Emmys tribute

Eric Dane, the 52-year-old actor known for Euphoria and Grey’s Anatomy, appeared in an Instagram video on Monday to promote an I AM ALS campaign hours after he did not take part in a planned reunion appearance at the 2025 Emmy Awards.

In the short clip, Dane — wearing a navy T-shirt reading “I AM ALS” — identified himself as “an actor, a father and now a person living with ALS” and spoke about the organization’s Push for Progress, a campaign aimed at raising $1 billion over three years to speed the search for treatments and a cure. He spoke slowly and at times slurred words, and his arms showed intermittent twitching during the message. “For over a century, ALS has been incurable, and we’re done accepting the status quo,” he said. “We need the fastest path to a cure and that’s why I partnered with I AM ALS on the Push for Progress. Our goal? A billion dollars over the next three years.”

The video came the same day Dane was expected to join former Grey’s Anatomy co-star Jesse Williams onstage at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards to present the directing award as part of a tribute marking 20 years of the Shonda Rhimes series. Williams presented the trophy alone after Dane did not appear. Emmys producer Jesse Collins told Variety he was only informed that Dane “wasn’t able to make it.” Williams had spoken warmly of his friendship with Dane on the Emmys red carpet, calling him “solid” and praising his off-screen character.

Dane publicly disclosed his amyotrophic lateral sclerosis diagnosis in April. In a June interview on Good Morning America, he said he had “one functioning arm” and told the program that his left arm was “going,” adding that it was “sobering” to consider further loss of function. After the Instagram message, followers commented on visible changes to his movement and speech. I AM ALS responded in comments that the disease “affects all muscles in the body, including vocal and throat muscles.”

In the campaign video, Dane urged viewers to support legislative and research efforts, saying the group would work to “renew the landmark law ACT for ALS, get promising treatments to thousands of patients like me. And finally, finally push towards ending this disease.” He asked followers to visit the organization’s donation link and to become involved in the advocacy push.

Dane’s public health struggle has been accompanied by changes in his personal life. He and his wife, actress Rebecca Gayheart, previously announced they were calling off their divorce but said they were not romantically reunited. Dane has described Gayheart as a primary source of support and said the couple have “managed to become better friends and better parents.” They have two daughters, Billie, 15, and Georgia, 13.

ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative condition that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, leading to loss of muscle control. In his video message, Dane framed his participation in the I AM ALS campaign as both personal and strategic, saying more must be learned quickly and advocating for increased funding and policy action to accelerate access to treatments for patients.