Sarah Michelle Gellar is giving a shoutout to the "Buffy" reboot that wasn't.
The "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" star, 49, presented at the 2026 Emmy Awards on Sept. 14 with her former costar David Boreanaz,
who played Angel. While on stage, Gellar made a subtle reference to the fact that a reboot of the show was in the works until earlier this year, when Hulu abruptly canceled it.
"You know, Sarah, I always thought that Buffy and Angel would end up together," Boreanaz, 57, said, to which Gellar replied, "Well, I guess we won't find out!"
It seemed to take a second for the audience to register the joke, leading to some delayed laughs and applause in the theater. "Thank you," Gellar said when the line got a reaction.
Gellar had been set to reprise her role of Buffy in a reboot series titled "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale," which was in development at Hulu after being announced in 2025.
A pilot episode was even filmed. But in March, Gellar took to Instagram to announced the streamer had decided not to move forward with the show.
"I am really sad to have to share this, but I wanted you all to hear it from me," Gellar said in a video message, adding that working on the show reminded her "how much I love" Buffy, "and how much she means, not only to me, but to all of you. And this doesn't change any of that."
Ryan Kiera Armstrong was set to lead the new cast of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale," the pilot of which was directed by "Hamnet" filmmaker Chloé Zhao.
Since the cancellation news, no further plans have been announced to continue "Buffy," which originally aired from 1997 to 2003.
While on stage at the Emmys, Gellar and Boreanaz also acknowledged that it's been a difficult time for the show's cast and fans after the death of two cast members.
Michelle Trachtenberg, who played Buffy's sister Dawn Summers, died in February 2025 at age 39, while Nicholas Brendon, who played Xander, died in March 2026 at age 54.
"Before we move on to the award, David and I would like to acknowledge that it has been a tough two years for our beloved cast and crew, and we feel very lucky to have known and worked with such amazing people," she said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sarah Michelle Gellar makes subtle dig about canceled 'Buffy' reboot at Emmys
