Drew Barrymore Backs Out of Hosting MTV Movie & TV Awards in Solidarity With the WGA Writers’ Strike
Drew Barrymore has pulled out of her hosting duties for Sunday’s MTV Movie & TV Awards due to the Writers Guild of America’s current writers’ strike, our sister site Variety first reported. Along with her support of the strike, the actress/host has agreed to return and emcee MTV’s annual ceremony in 2024.
“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 in a statement. “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.”
Sunday’s show will still air according to plan (at 8/7c on MTV), but will now go hostless. The network has also elected to move forward without a pre-show red carpet or talent interviews. Barrymore may still appear via pre-taped shorts she had already participated in.
“Drew, without question, she’s been incredible,” President of Music, Music Talent, Programming and Events at Paramount Global and executive producer of the MTV Movie & TV Awards Bruce Gillmer said in a statement. “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.”
The WGA strike got underway on May 2, after talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers broke down despite months of negotiation. At the center of the negotiation (among other things): An acknowledgment of, and correcting for, the way that streaming has affected the work, compensation and working conditions of writers.
According to WGA guidelines, once a work stoppage is underway, members are barred from writing, nor can they pitch or negotiate for work. What’s more, anything that was already written before the strike commenced cannot be edited during production.
Will you still be watching the MTV Movie & TV Awards despite Barrymore’s absence? Let us know in the comments.
Good for her. It’s the right thing to do.
Is it? I’m not sure backing out of a commitment is the right thing to do. It certainly sends the message she wants. But I’m not a huge fan of breaking commitments.
I love Drew Barrymore and admire what she is doing. Good for her for following her heart and doing the right thing by stepping down from hosting. Very brave and honorable!
ok. some on else will do the job
It’s not that simple or easy to host these shows. There is prep and rehearsal involved.
the article says the show will go on hostless (without a host)
And yet, in the copy…it says the show will go “hostless.”
I do like the person she has grown into. She could have gone so many different ways given her lack of parental guidance, drug addiction and just general lifestyle from such a young age. Having so much success without any real support or boundaries. I’m glad she found her way and this is the right thing to do.
My mom went to high school with Drew’s mom. She was a total nutjob long before Drew was born. I agree with you completely. We know she had a very rough childhood/teens/20’s yet she got her act together, turned her life around and is now doing fantastic. It really is nice to see. And despite everything, she now has a good relationship with her mother and supports her financially as well. Good for her.
No host why even air the awards show stupid
wasn’t going to watch but I think she should have still hosted and gone on air to thank the writers for their talents in the scripts that made the award show possible. still could have supported the writers without having to bail. since I’m sure the actors are still going to show up for their awards. pretty sure if they do more than one actor will mention the writers and the strike in their acceptance speech
Glad everyone involved is on the same page and can move forward together. 👍
I saw promos for the MTV Awards aired on a couple other mainstream networks this morning and all I thought of was – why is Drew Barrymore still promoting/ hosting any show during the WGA strike? It seemed very out of character for her so I’m very pleased that she has made this decision. Bravo Drew!
Yet they probably will still air pre-taped bits they did before the strike
Yay sha was why l wasnt tuning in shes very annoying