Corey Feldman is opening up about a moment that quietly broke his heart. After being left out of the Oscars tribute honoring Rob Reiner, the Stand by Me star admitted it felt like “a family reunion I wasn’t invited to.” Watching former castmates come together on stage, celebrating a legacy he was once part of, made the absence hit even harder. For Feldman, it wasn’t just about missing a spotlight moment — it was about feeling forgotten in a story where he once belonged. Still, despite the hurt, he chose grace, reminding everyone that the night was meant to honor Reiner’s impact, not personal recognition. Sometimes, the most painful thing isn’t being excluded… it’s realizing you were once part of something that moved on without you. K2

Corey Feldman has opened up to Entertainment Weekly about his feelings on being left out of the 2026 Oscars tribute to his late Stand by Me director Rob Reiner.

In a joint EW interview with costars Jerry O’Connell and Wil Wheaton tied to the 1986 film’s theatrical re-release for its 40th anniversary, Feldman reacts to the headline-making Academy Awards moment when 17 stars from Reiner’s projects united on stage to honor the legacy of the filmmaker, who, alongside his wife Michele, was found in his California home in December 2025 following an apparent homicide.

“I think Jerry and Wil did what had to be done. It was a fleeting moment, so I don’t feel like I missed much at all. I personally was probably maybe a little bothered by the fact that nobody got to speak or do or say anything from their own heart,” Feldman says. “Although they did a wonderful job, I would’ve liked to have heard from Wil and Jerry and a few other people up there.”

Feldman continues, saying that “it is what it is,” adding that he likes that the Academy chose to “honor the great memory of Rob” at all.

EW has reached out to representatives for the Academy for comment.

Feldman, who was a child actor at the time of Stand by Me‘s production, admits that “we all would’ve loved to be able to say goodbye in our own ways. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. The best way we can say goodbye is honoring him and his work and his film through these tours that we’re doing and these interviews and getting people to take the moment and time to acknowledge the history of his work and art that he created, and hopefully going out there to celebrate him one last time on a big screen where it deserves to be seen.”

The actor previously spoke about the tribute on social media, where he alleged, “I JUST WANT 2 BRIEFLY MENTION THIS WHOLE OSCARS THING! YES ITS TRUE THAT I WAS NOT INVITED, I UNDERSTAND MANY BELIEVE ITS DUE 2 BEING OUTSPOKEN ABOUT THE ABUSE I SUFFERED AS A CHILD & THE CAMPAIGN 2 SILENCE ME,” in reference to his years of outspoken support for survivors of sexual abuse, which he said he previously experienced in his career.

Reiner’s When Harry Met Sally star Billy Crystal introduced the Reiner tribute at the March 15 Oscars ceremony, which included appearances from multiple collaborators who worked with Reiner over the years.

Celebrities who joined the telecast for the tribute included O’Connell, Wheaton, Crystal, Meg Ryan, Demi Moore, Kathy Bates, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Fred Savage, Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Carol Kane, Kiefer Sutherland, Kevin Pollak, Annette Bening, John Cusack, and Daphne Zuniga.

Wheaton, Feldman, and O’Connell are currently on a live reunion tour on behalf of Stand by Me‘s re-release, with upcoming dates in Seattle, Indianapolis, Chicago, and Portland, Ore.