Drew Barrymore Steps Down as Host of 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards 3 Days Before Show
Drew Barrymore has relinquished her hosting duties.
The Drew Barrymore Show host stepped down from hosting the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards on May 7 in solidarity with the Writers Guild of America, who are currently on 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," Drew said in a statement to Variety May 4. "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."
However, she plans to give out those coveted golden popcorn statues in 2024. "I thank MTV, who has truly been some of the best partners I have ever worked with," she continued. "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 network supports her decision, too.
"When this all reared its head, we started to prepare for what could be," the show's executive producer Bruce Gillmer told Variety. "She is not surprisingly, standing in solidarity with the writers, which we have full respect for."
Now, the show will go on without a host—or a red carpet. It's certainly not the first (or the last) to make changes amid the strike.
Pete Davdison's May 6 episode of Saturday Night Live has been canceled and the late night programming—including The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel Live and The Late Show With Stephen Colbert—have gone dark.
The WGA went on strike May 2 following six unsuccessful negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
"Though our Negotiating Committee began this process intent on making a fair deal," the WGA shared on Instagram, "the studios' responses have been wholly insufficient given the existential crisis writers are facing."
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