The 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards, set to air live this Sunday from the Barker Hanger in Santa Monica with host Drew Barrymore, will move forward even as a writers’ strike is underway. Because it’s live, the kudocast will likely be the first program noticeably hit by a strike, though insiders close to the show say Variety they already had several contingency plans in place just in case.
“We all collectively hope for the best, we hope for a resolution so the show can go on as planned,” a production source said. Variety Monday, before the WGA contract expired and a strike was announced. “If we have to pivot, we will. We are working on our contingency plans. It’s something we’ve been discussing for some time. So we work hard. These are very busy hours and days for us…the nature of live events, live broadcasts and live programming is to be able to pivot when the going gets tough. These are all skills that we have honed very well over the past few years.
The show has previously filmed several shorts featuring Barrymore; because these were written and produced before the WGA’s contract with the producers expired Monday night at midnight, they would not be affected by a strike. Where things could get tricky is the script that’s currently in place – with the show still five days away, from now on, its writers probably wouldn’t be able to update it.
“The things that we planned to be in the body of the show, we made efforts to have those plans in place,” Barrymore said. Variety Monday. “Our respect and solidarity are not only intact, we cover ourselves to be able to do the right thing. Nobody here is deaf… I think we’ve acted in a way to be the most appropriate for everyone we support, and we have a plan in place for that.
“I think intention is very important,” she added. And everyone’s intentions are in the right place. The goal is to celebrate people in everything they do. We understand that everything we celebrate starts with writing. So we will do our best to honor everyone.
During the WGA strike of 2007-2008, the Golden Globes finally had to switch to a press conference format, as talent opted not to cross a picket line – and the Globes weren’t in able to obtain clip rights from the WGA. (Guilds traditionally issue waivers to award shows to allow them to play clips from movies and TV shows without paying residuals for their use).
In 2020, the MTV Movie & TV Awards did not take place, partly due to the pandemic but also because MTV decided to move the show to the fall. Ultimately, he returned in the spring of 2021. Barrymore also has experience in TV pivots: His talk show, “The Drew Barrymore Show,” bowed out in the fall of 2020, amid protocols production COVID-19. “Trying to start a talk show during a pandemic was, without a doubt, one of the scariest things I’ve ever done in my life,” she said.
As this is a brand new strike, it is not clear if there will be picketing during Sunday’s broadcast. And insiders said the clip issue hasn’t come up yet and doesn’t appear to be an issue.
Presenters who have already been confirmed for the awards show include Tiffany Haddish, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dave Burd (“Lil Dicky”), Gal Gadot, Rodrigo Santoro and Sarah Michelle Gellar. Also “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” stars Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback; “Yellowjackets” stars Courtney Eaton, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Liv Hewson, Samantha Hanratty, Sophie Nélisse and Sophie Thatcher; and “Joy Ride” features Ashley Park, Sabrina Wu, Sherry Cola and Stephanie Hsu.
Also to appear: Ayo Edebiri, Havana Rose Liu, Kaia Gerber and Rachel Sennott (“Bottoms”); Camila Morrone, Riley Keough, Sam Claflin and Suki Waterhouse (“Daisy Jones & The Six”); Halle Bailey and Jonah Hauer-King (“The Little Mermaid”); and Christopher Briney, Gavin Casalegno and Lola Tung (“The Summer I Got Pretty”).
Top Gun: Maverick, Stranger Things, and The Last of Us lead all nominees this year. Barrymore is also nominated for an MTV Movie & TV Award this year, while ‘The White Lotus’ star Jennifer Coolidge will be on hand to receive the ‘Comic Genius’ award. This year’s awards show includes 26 non-gendered categories.
The show airs live Sunday, May 7 at 8 p.m. ET on MTV, simulcast on BET, BETHer, Comedy Central, CMT, Logo, MTV2, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network, Pop, TV Land and VH1.