The Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike has caused disruptions and changes to the MTV Movie & TV Awards scheduled to air on May 7. Drew Barrymore, who was set to host the awards ceremony, abandoned her post to stand with the writers striking against the production of her daytime talk show. Several attendees scheduled to present awards also dropped out in solidarity. In preparation for the awards show, MTV planned to pre-record the event with acceptance speeches instead of hosting it live, in part, to avoid any potential confrontations with picketers.
The WGA strike, which began on May 2, came about after negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers failed over issues on pay and conditions. The WGA picketed the awards ceremony in Santa Monica as it did many other production sites. Although several presenters boycotted the ceremony, others such as Jamie Lee Curtis, Tiffany Haddish, and Gal Gadot, did not confirm cancellation of their schedules.
Despite the resistance, Bruce Gillmer, president of Music, Music Talent, Programming, and Events at Paramount Global, expressed optimism that the pre-recorded ceremony would still be exciting, saying it would include “sneak peeks, irreverent categories our audience have come to expect, and countless moments that will surprise and delight as we honor the best of film and TV over the past year.” MTV’s case was also different from that of the daytime talk show. While it was produced by the ViacomCBS network, the writers’ demands for control over the creative direction of the programme were not issues, thus most remained with their jobs.
This year’s MTV Movie & TV Awards introduces a new format under the banner “MTV Movie & TV Awards: Greatest of All Time”. The brand is expected to recall the most exceptional moments of music and television from the past four decades, thereby honoring iconic performers across these periods. MTV’s actions are examples of companies that ensure themselves with the benefit of continuity during unavoidable protests and other industrial disputes. Due to their ability to pre-tape the awards ceremony, the channel was well set up for success amidst the strike. Despite the limited attendance, the ceremony still went ahead as planned, albeit in a different format.
