Drew Barrymore pulls out of hosting MTV Movie & TV Awards in support of writers strike
LOS ANGELES - Drew Barrymore has decided not to host the MTV Movie & TV Awards in support of the Writers Guild members on strike, Variety reports.
The awards will still air on Sunday but without a host. MTV has also canceled the red carpet event which could see other talent pull out of the show as well.
"I have listened to the writers, and in order to truly respect them, I will pivot from hosting the MTV Movie & TV Awards live in solidarity with the strike. Everything we celebrate and honor about movies and television is born out of their creation," Barrymore said in a statement. "And until a solution is reached, I am choosing to wait but I’ll be watching from home and hope you will join me. I thank MTV, who has truly been some of the best partners I have ever worked with. And 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."
The first Hollywood strike in 15 years commenced Tuesday as the 11,500 members of the Writers Guild of America stopped working when their contract expired.
The union is seeking higher minimum pay, more writers per show and less exclusivity on single projects, among other demands — all conditions it says have diminished in the streaming era's content boom.
"Everything’s changed, but the money has changed in the wrong direction," said Kelly Galuska, 39, a writer for " The Bear " on FX and "Big Mouth" on Netflix, who picketed at Fox Studios in Los Angeles with her 3-week-old daughter. "It’s a turning point in the industry right now. And if we don’t get back to even, we never will."
The last Hollywood strike, from the same union in 2007 and 2008, took three months to resolve. With no talks or even plans to talk pending between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents studios and productions companies, there is no telling how long writers will have to go without pay, or how many major productions will be delayed, shortened or scrapped.
"We’ll stay out as long as it takes," Josh Gad, a writer for shows including "Central Park" and an actor in films including "Frozen," said from the Fox picket line.