In a twist that will surely create pre-ceremony mayhem, the Writers Guild of America plans to host the MTV Movie & TV Awards on Sunday.
The Hollywood Writers Association announced its intention to demonstrate at the Sunday gala at Parker Hangar in Santa Monica on Friday afternoon as part of its ongoing strike against Hollywood studios and screens. (MTV is part of Paramount Global.) The protest is clearly a targeted move, given that the union’s strike schedule runs primarily Monday through Friday at production sites including studio yards and corporate offices like the Netflix Building in Hollywood.
In anticipation of the potential labor conflict, Drew Barrymore pulled out of hosting the gala Thursday, while host and nominee Lala Kent (Vanderpump Rules) became the first talent show member to cancel her appearance later in the day. Both said they made the decision out of solidarity with the writers, and MTV later planned a ceremony without a host and without WGA writers. The show still plans to have a live audience.
As of press time, the cast including Jamie Lee Curtis, Dave “Lil’ Dicky” Byrd, Halle Bailey, Riley Keough, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Anthony Ramos, Stephanie Hsu, and Tiffany Haddish have not publicly announced that they have canceled their scheduled performances as presenters. has not been white lotusJennifer Coolidge, who is set to receive the Comedic Genius Award at the ceremony.
It is unclear if there will be more talent drain after the WGA’s decision, as the picket line in Santa Monica could create a difficult situation for members of other unions, such as the performers’ union SAG-AFTRA. SAG-AFTRA encouraged its members to continue reporting to work on any productions still in progress but to join and support the WGA picket line outside of business hours.
The WGA has been on strike since May 2, after negotiations with studios and broadcasters broke down the night before. The MTV Movie & TV Awards mark the first high-profile TV awards since the hiatus began. MTV has a contract with the WGA, and some of its members worked on the show before MoonMan Productions, a subsidiary of Viacom, went on strike.
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