Drew Barrymore Pulls Out of MTV Movie Awards In Solidarity With Writers Strike, Red Carpet Show Scrapped
Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
The ongoing strike by the Writers Guild of America scored a win as Drew Barrymore announced she will no longer be presenting the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards.
Barrymore was supposed to host the award show on Sunday in Santa Monica, but Variety received a statement from the actress confirming she will step down in support of the WGA. She said she would return next year, however, to host the show.
“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,” said Barrymore. “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. I thank MTV, who has truly been some of the best partners I have ever worked with. And I can’t wait to be a part of this next year, when I can truly celebrate everything that MTV has created, which is a show that allows fans to choose who the awards go to and is truly inclusive.”
The ceremony is the first scheduled award show since the WGA went on strike Monday to demand compensation increases and protest the practices of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). The ceremony is expected to go on hostless, though there will no longer be a red carpet show beforehand, and producers are tracking the situation to see who will show up.
Even though Barrymore won’t be hosting, the show may still feature her if MTV airs the pre-recorded shorts they taped with her. MTV Movie & TV Awards Executive Producer Bruce Gillmer said his colleagues are modifying their plans for the evening, but he told Variety he didn’t have any hard feelings for Barrymore:
Drew, without question, she’s been incredible. It’s hard to imagine that we’ve ever had a better experience with a host. She’s more of a partner really, she’s in it every day, just super passionate and super engaged and creative. She even bought some of her own team along for the journey. So when this all reared its head, we started to prepare for what could be. She is not surprisingly, standing in solidarity with the writers, which we have full respect for. She has our full support.
