People are showing solidarity with the Writers Guild of America in different ways. The WGA has another person standing by, with Drew Barrymore dropping her hosting duties for the MTV Movie & TV Awards to show she supports the writers’ strike, originally reported by Variety. She still has given MTV the greenlight to return to host next year’s award show.
Plenty of aspects are up in the air for Sunday’s telecast of the award show. Since Drew Barrymore and others are showing support for the writers’ strike, producers of the show are figuring out how to adapt. It is unsure how things will play out depending on which guests, nominees, and presenters attend. When it comes to replacing the host, it will not and opt to go for a hostless show. The other change will be the red carpet, as interviews will not take place.
Drew Barrymore Supports Writers’ Strike, Drops Hosting Duties at MTV Awards
For viewers, you may see the ex-host. She had already recorded videos for the broadcasted event. In a statement from Variety, she will not even attend as a guest but will “be watching from home.”
The main issue for writers has been a need for better pay. While studios make millions, funneling that money to executives, it has skimped on sharing the wealth with the people coming up with the ideas that create movies and TV shows. Residuals were a main part of people’s livelihoods, but in the age of streaming, people do not get paid for viewership of hits. So, even though we have seen major successes with Yellowjackets, Wednesday, and The Mandalorian, nobody is getting extra compensation for their shows becoming successes.
Seeing Drew Barrymore support the writers’ strike makes her one of the many stars using her platform to show support. Picket lines filled with writers from major shows have seen actors come up in solidarity. Rob Lowe, Natasha Lyonne, and Zach Cherry have been spotted with writers.
The MTV Awards are not the only things being affected by the strike. Talk shows from Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, and more are to shut down and air re-runs. Yellowjackets had a single day writing its third season before closing shop. Other shows that are hit include Abbott Elementary, Big Mouth, Cobra Kai, Good Omens, and Saturday Night Live.