MTV Movie & TV Awards will not be held live amid writers' strike
The MTV Movie & TV Awards have hit another snag amid the ongoing Hollywood writers' strike.
The 2023 edition of the annual event will no longer be held live, EW can confirm. However, a pre-taped special will still air on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on MTV with simulcasts on BET, BET Her, Comedy Central, CMT, Logo, MTV2, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network, Pop, TV Land, and VH1.
"As we carefully navigate how best to deliver the fan first awards' show we envisioned that our team has worked so hard to create, we're pivoting away from a live event that still enables us to produce a memorable night full of exclusive sneak peeks, irreverent categories our audience has come to expect and countless moments that will both surprise and delight as we honor the best of film and TV over the past year," Bruce Gillmer, executive producer of the MTV Movie & TV Awards, said in a statement Friday.
The pivot comes on the heels of the announcement that Drew Barrymore, who had been set to host the ceremony, would not be taking the stage in a show of solidarity with the Writers Guild of America strike.
"I have listened to the writers, and in order to truly respect them, I will pivot from hosting the MTV Movie & TV Awards live in solidarity with the strike," Barrymore said in a statement on Thursday. "Everything we celebrate and honor about movies and television is born out of their creation. And until a solution is reached, I am choosing to wait but I'll be watching from home and hope you will join me."
After Barrymore's decision was announced, it was revealed that there would also no longer be any type of red carpet or press attendance at the show. However, the actress turned talk show host is confirmed to host the 2024 MTV Movie & TV Awards.
On Friday, the guild announced its plans to picket the awards show at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica.
Writers Guild of America will picket the MTV Movie and TV Awards at 5pm PT on Sunday, May 7 at Barker Hanger in Los Angeles #WGASTRIKE
— Writers Guild of America West (@WGAWest) May 5, 2023
Jennifer Coolidge was slated to receive the Comedic Genius Award at the ceremony, which also had recruited Jamie Lee Curtis, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Halle Bailey, Stephanie Hsu, Ashley Park, Dominique Fishback, Tiffany Haddish, and Anthony Ramos, among others, as presenters. Ayo Edebiri, Riley Keough, and Sam Claflin were also part of the original lineup.
Heading into the night, The Last of Us, Stranger Things, and Top Gun: Maverick lead the nominations with six each, followed by The White Lotus and Wednesday with four nods apiece.
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