‘Buffy’ Reunion at Emmys: Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz Mock Canceled Reunion Series, Pay Tribute to Cast Members Who Died

“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” stars Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz had a mini reunion at the Emmys and presented at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles Monday night.

The pair started by joking about the show’s premise.

“A teenage girl chosen by fate to fight vampires, demons and forces of darkness and then she falls in love with a vampire with a soul carrying around a couple 100 years of regret,” Gellar said. “And much, much older vampire with a soul and agonizing remorse about his past. For those of you who don’t know, his character was 241 years old.”

She also pointedly said that audiences will never know how Buffy and Angel’s love story will end, a terse nod to the pilot to a sequel series that was announced to not have been picked up earlier this year.

“You know, Sarah, I always thought Angel and Buffy would end up together,” Boreanaz said.

“Well, I guess we won’t find out!” Gellar retorted.

Gellar also alluded to some recent big losses in the “Buffy” cast in recent years. Nicholas Brendon, who played Buffy’s friend Xander Harris, died in March at 54, and Anthony Head, who played Buffy’s Watcher Rupert Giles on all seven seasons of the show, died in June at 72. Michelle Trachtenberg, who joined “Buffy” in its fifth season as Buffy’s younger sister Dawn Summers, died in February 2025 at 39.

The duo presented the Emmy for outstanding lead actor in a limited or anthology series or movie, which ended up going to Matthew Rhys for “The Beast in Me.”

“Buffy” ran for seven seasons, beginning in 1997. Sarah Michelle Gellar starred as Buffy Summers, the titular slayer. David Boreanaz played love interest Angel in the first three seasons of the original show and made several guest appearances until the finale in 2003. He returned in his own spinoff series, “Angel,” which ran from 1999—2004.

“Buffy” also starred Alyson Hannigan, James Marsters, Charisma Carpenter, Emma Caulfield and Eliza Dushku. A revival at Hulu nearly happened with Gellar returning to mentor a new Slayer, but it was canned earlier this year.

“Buffy” was nominated for 14 Primetime Emmy Awards during its run. It won for outstanding makeup for a series and outstanding music composition for a series (dramatic underscore), both in 1998. Angel was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for outstanding makeup for a series in 2000, but it lost to “The X-Files.”

The 2026 Emmy Awards are presented by Mariska Hargitay, who took home two awards last weekend for her documentary “My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay.”