Drew Barrymore is the latest celebrity to stand in solidarity with the thousands of television and film writers currently on strike. The actress and talk show host has announced that she will no longer host this Sunday’s MTV Movie & TV Awards, but plans to fulfill her post next year.
“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,” Barrymore said in a statement on Thursday. “Everything we celebrate and honor about movies and television is born out of their creation. And until a solution is reached, I am choosing to wait but I’ll be watching from home and hope you will join me.”
She continued, “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.”
On Monday, a production source for the MTV awards show told Variety that the ceremony would still air despite the Writers Guild of America strike, and that the network was “working through [its] contingency plans.” Those plans included several pre-recorded sketches featuring Barrymore that will most likely remain in the telecast, per The Hollywood Reporter.
In the same Variety article, Barrymore echoed that the network had a “plan [for the strike] in place” that would respect protesters.
“Our respect and solidarity is not only intact, we are covering ourselves so that we can do the appropriate thing,” the talk show host said. “Nobody here is tone deaf. I think we’ve been acting in accordance of being the most appropriate to everyone we support, and have a plan for that in place.”
Bruce Gillmer, president of music, music talent, programming, and events at Paramount Global, says Barrymore has the network’s “full support” in her decision to bail on her hosting duties.
“When this all reared its head, we started to prepare for what could be,” Gilmer, who’s an executive producer of the show, said in a statement. “[Barrymore] is—not surprisingly—standing in solidarity with the writers, which we have full respect for.”
With Barrymore out as host, all eyes are on the show’s previously announced lineup of celebrity presenters and attendees, including Jamie Lee Curtis, Tiffany Haddish, Gal Gadot, Halle Bailey, Dominique Fishback, and the cast of Daisy Jones and the Six. Emmy winner Jennifer Coolidge is also set to receive the Comedic Genius Award.
Additionally, The Bear star Ayo Edebiri is slated to present alongside the cast of the upcoming comedy film Bottoms. However, she’s been spotted protesting alongside other members of the Writers Guild of America, which may impact her attendance.
The MTV Movie TV & Awards are set to air live on MTV at 8 p.m. ET this Sunday, May 7.
