The 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards will now be pivoting from a live ceremony to a pre-taped one on Sunday.
Bruce Gillmer, executive producer of the MTV Movie & TV Awards, released a statement Friday, saying, “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 peeks, 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.”
A source told The Hollywood Reporter that there will still be celebrity involvement via pre-taped acceptance speeches.
The ceremony was previously set to be held at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, with Drew Barrymore as host, celebrity presenters and an audience. But the 50 First Dates actress announced earlier in the week that she would be dropping out, saying she’s doing so in solidarity with the Writers Guild of America strike.
MTV’s change in plans for the ceremony also comes after the WGA revealed earlier Friday that it was planning to picket the awards show. Writers have been on strike across Los Angeles and New York since May 2, after negotiations with studios and streamers collapsed the previous night.
MTV also previously called off the red carpet for the event.
The MTV Movie & TV Awards will still air Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on MTV with simulcasts on BET, BET Her, Comedy Central, CMT, Logo, MTV2, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network, Pop, TV Land, VH1.
