MTV Movie & TV Awards cancels its live show over writers strike

This year's MTV Movie & TV Awards will not be broadcast live on Sunday.

MTV's parent company, Paramount Global, announced Friday it plans to scale back the annual event to a pre-taped special.

"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 peaks, 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," said Bruce Gillmer, executive producer of the MTV Movie & TV Awards, in a statement.

The announcement follows Drew Barrymore's decision to withdraw from hosting the awards in solidarity with writers involved in the ongoing Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike. Other celebrity nominees and presenters, such as Jamie Lee Curtis, joined the actress in pulling out of the event.

In addition, the WGA had announced plans to picket the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, where the live event was scheduled to take place. A representative from WGA confirmed that the picketing plans had been called off in an email, but declined NPR's request for further comment.

"Everything we celebrate and honor about movies and television is born out of [the WGA writers'] creation," Barrymore said in a statement shared by a representative for the actress on Thursday. "And until a solution is reached, I am choosing to wait. But I'll be watching from home on Sunday night and I hope everyone else will as well."

Barrymore said she plans to pick up her hosting duties again next year.

The 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards will air on Sunday, May 7 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, and MTV internationally in over 150 countries.