MTV Movie & TV Awards switches to pre-taped event due to writers’ strike

MTV has decided to pre-tape its annual Movie & TV Awards due to the ongoing screenwriters’ strike. 

MTV’s parent company, Paramount Global, made their decision on Friday to scale back the award show. 

“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 peaks, 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,” MTV Movie & TV Awards executive producer Bruce Gillmer said in a statement. 

NPR reported that the Writers Guild of America (WGA) had initially planned on picketing at the Barker Hangar event venue in Santa Monica, where the live award show was set to take place. 

A WGA representative told NPR in an emailed statement that the picketing plans were called off. 

MTV’s decision comes days after actress and daytime television host Drew Barrymore shared her decision to pull out of her hosting duties in support of the ongoing strike. 

“I have listened to the writers, and in order to truly respect them, I will pivot from hosting the MTV Movie and TV Awards live in solidarity with the strike,” Barrymore said in a statement Thursday obtained by ITK, adding that “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 on Sunday night and I hope everyone else will as well,” Barrymore added. 

WGA, a union that represents more than 11,000 professionals in the entertainment industry, launched its strike last week in an effort to get better compensation for content produced for streaming services. 

Barrymore, who first gained recognition for her role in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, added in her statement that she’s poised to host the annual award show next year. 

“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,” Barrymore said.