In support of the ongoing writers strike, Drew Barrymore has announced that she will no longer be hosting the MTV Movie & TV Awards on Sunday night.
The bisexual actor and host of The Drew Barrymore Show shared a statement with Variety explaining her decision. “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,” she said.
“Everything we celebrate and honor about movies and television is born out of their creation," Barrymore continued. "And until a solution is reached, I am choosing to wait but I’ll be watching from home and hope you will join me."
Some 11,500 members of the Writers Guild of America are currently on strike following failed negotiations over wages and contracts with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The strike began May 2 and has resulted in the temporary shutdown of numerous productions, including late night shows Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, ABC's Abbot Elementary, and Showtime's Yellowjackets.
Barrymore is one of a number of stars to come out in support of the striking writers, among them Jimmy Fallon, Amanda Seyfried, John Mulaney, and Rob Lowe.
Although the MTV Movie & TV Awards will still take place on Sunday, they will do so without a host or a red carpet event, which has also been canceled. It remains to be seen whether other scheduled presenters and nominees will drop out of the show in solidarity with the Writers Guild.
Barrymore has also announced that she will return to host the 2024 Movie & TV Awards for MTV, with whom she remains on good terms.
"I thank MTV," she shared in her statement, "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 show is set to air Sunday at 8 p.m. Eastern on MTV.
