Fans were in an uproar on Sunday after the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards aired a slimmed-down version of their usual ceremony, which included little more than packets of clips, a few pre-taped sketches and a small number of stars accepting the awards virtually .
Many viewers on social media thought the show was little more than a shell of its former self after it got caught up in ongoing contractual disputes between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents film and television. was involved manufacturing company.
The most significant blow was Drew Barrymore’s decision to step down as host in solidarity with writers after the strike began on Monday. Although she did not cross a picket line to appear in person, she has appeared in several pre-taped sketches and commercials.
Film and TV writers are on strike over complaints that studios have underpaid them for years, especially when it comes to streaming programs that offer almost no backlog over time. They also oppose attempts by studios to shrink writers’ rooms, shorten the number of episodes on TV seasons and leave open the possibility of replacing human writers with so-called “AI” programs.
“Worst awards show ever,” wrote one person reposting a funny video of a woman freaking out.
Anemic show: Fans were in an uproar after the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards took place on Sunday despite having no host, writers or personal guests due to the ongoing WGA strike
Not a fan: “Worst awards show ever,” wrote one person reposting a funny video of a woman freaking out
What gives? Some people didn’t seem to have paid any attention to the battle between writers and studio bosses, as it’s only impacted a few live shows so far
WINNER of the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards at a glance
BEST MOVIE
Scream VI (WINNER)
BEST SHOW
The Last of Us (WINNER)
BEST PERFORMANCE IN A FILM
Tom Cruise – Top Gun: Maverick (WINNER)
BEST PERFORMANCE IN A SHOW
Jenna Ortega – Wednesday (WINNER)
MOST TERRIBLE PERFORMANCE
Jennifer Coolidge – The White Lotus (WINNER)
BEST DUO
Pedro Pascal + Bella Ramsey – The Last of Us (WINNER)
BEST SONG
Taylor Swift – Carolina (Where The Crawdads Sing) (WINNER)
BEST HOST
Drew Barrymore — The Drew Barrymore Show (WINNER)
“It must be a joke. I don’t think this is happening. I’m literally about to kill myself and I’m not kidding,” the woman yelled in the video, which has become a popular meme. “You better fix that shit right now! I’m literally going to die, I need an ambulance.’
Some people didn’t seem to have paid any attention to the battle between writers and studio bosses, as it’s only impacted a few live shows so far.
“Isn’t that a typical mtv movie awards lmao? I’m so lost,” wrote one confused person, who included a photo of a woman grimacing.
Some users couldn’t believe that MTV would continue with a show that no longer had a host.
Barrymore appeared in some disjointed videos, but many of them referenced that she was hosting the live show, which no longer made sense in context.
“Drew Barrymore didn’t host the #MTVAwards but they’re still playing their clips,” one viewer wrote.
For one Twitter user, the show brought back memories of the height of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, when most TV productions had to resort to virtual appearances to keep cast members safe.
“Bruh is watching the #MTVMovieandTVAwards and with Writers Strike ongoing it feels like we’re back in the Covid era,” one viewer tweeted.
Weird Choice: Some users couldn’t believe MTV would continue with a show that no longer had a host
The host: Barrymore appeared in some disjointed videos, but many of them referenced that she was hosting the live show, which no longer made sense in context
Pre-taped: “Drew Barrymore didn’t host the #MTVAwards but they’re still playing their clips,” wrote a viewer
Bad days: For one Twitter user, the show brought back memories of the peak of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic
Another user agreed, writing, “I found awards shows weird in 2020 with the lockdown and everyone doing them on Zoom but this is definitely weird.”
Others pointed out the drastic changes in tone the show suffered due to its new format.
“We left from Pedro [Pascal] giving a hot speech in his backyard tom crusie on a damn plane [sic]’ pointed out one person who placed a screenshot of Cruise in his plane with his gold popcorn behind him in the cockpit.
It seemed that many fans, aware of the format change, didn’t have high expectations for the MTV show.
“I’m about to press play on the nightmare that is the mtv awards,” moaned one person on Twitter.
Another user expressed solidarity with striking writers and said it was a mistake to continue the show.
“Should have just canceled this year. Need writers urgently,” tweeted one fan, who also tagged the WGA.
But it wasn’t all bad news for MTV. Some users found Barrymore’s occasional appearances so charming that she helped elevate the show.
Throwback: Another user agreed, writing: “I found awards shows in 2020 strange with the lockdown and everyone doing them on Zoom but this is definitely strange.”
Change of pace: Others pointed out the drastic changes in tone the show suffered due to its new format
No anticipation: It seemed like many fans, aware of the format change, didn’t have high expectations for the show from MTV
Just cancel: Another user expressed solidarity with striking writers and announced that it was a mistake to continue the show
Saving Grace: But it wasn’t all bad news for MTV. Some users found Barrymore’s occasional appearances so charming that she helped elevate the show
“I didn’t know Drew Barrymore was so funny hosting the MTV Awards,” wrote one user.
They referenced a clip that transports Barrymore – as her never-kissed character – into the world of Greta Gerwig’s upcoming Barbie movie, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling.
“The way she just said about Ken/Barbie, ‘they talk about being right’ 😜,” they added appreciatively.
Despite the drastic change for the show, plenty of people also chimed in to complain about snubbed nominees, including Florence Pugh and Bella Ramsey.
Jennifer Coolidge showed her support for WGA when she accepted the Comedic Genius Award in a clip for the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards on Sunday, while Drew Barrymore quit and was honored with an award because of the strike, and The Last of Us won three great honors.
Other notable names to emerge victorious that night included Tom Cruise, Jenna Ortega and Taylor Swift.
“Almost every great comedy starts with great writers,” the White Lotus star said in her speech. “I just think that I stand before you tonight as a proud member of the SAG, alongside my sisters and brothers from the WGA who are fighting right now and fighting for artists’ rights everywhere.
She added: “I think of the words of Shakespeare where he once said, you know, the play is the thing. Well, I don’t want to put words in his mouth or anything, but I think what he really meant was that it’s everything!’
Coolidge won a second prize for Most Frightened Performance for The White Lotus at the event. She beat out Cocaine Bear’s Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Barbarian’s Justin Long, Bodies Bodies’ Rachel Sennott and Smile’s Sosie Bacon in the category.
Solidarity: Jennifer Coolidge showed her support for the Writers Guild of America on Sunday as she accepted the Comedic Genius Award at the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards on Sunday
Drew Barrymore was due to host but withdrew due to the WGA strike. Despite her absence, the Hollywood star was also named Best Host on The Drew Barrymore Show
WINNER of the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards at a glance
BEST MOVIE
Scream VI (WINNER)
BEST SHOW
The Last of Us (WINNER)
BEST PERFORMANCE IN A FILM
Tom Cruise – Top Gun: Maverick (WINNER)
BEST PERFORMANCE IN A SHOW
Jenna Ortega – Wednesday (WINNER)
MOST TERRIBLE PERFORMANCE
Jennifer Coolidge – The White Lotus (WINNER)
BEST DUO
Pedro Pascal + Bella Ramsey – The Last of Us (WINNER)
BEST SONG
Taylor Swift – Carolina (Where The Crawdads Sing) (WINNER)
BEST HOST
Drew Barrymore — The Drew Barrymore Show (WINNER)
“My goodness, popcorn,” she said. ‘Thank you very much. Oh my God. The most terrible death. Thank you very much. I hope this is the last time I ever die on a show. I want to stay alive.’
The Last Of Us star Pedro Pascal won the Best Hero honor to kick off Sunday’s awards announcements as the show also picked up Best Show and Best Duo awards for Pascal and Bella Ramsey.
Pascal edged out a field that included Andor’s Diego Luna, Wednesday’s Jenna Ortega, Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania’s Paul Rudd and Top Gun: Maverick’s Tom Cruise.
“I want to say thank you, MTV Movie and TV Awards,” Pascal said in his acceptance speech. “I’m an MTV kid. To me that means the absolute world. The people at MTV told me that 77.5 million people voted this year. It blows my mind and just makes it such an honor.”
He continued, “I wish we could all be together so I can look you in the eye and tell you that all the young people in the world are my heroes and I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you. I want to say that you deserve a world that serves your interests.
“You deserve to be healthy. You deserve to be safe. You deserve to have your individual rights fought for and protected. You deserve real heroes in this world because you are real heroes to me. And I love you. Thank you very much. Thank you very much.’
With writers on strike and studios picketing, presenter Drew Barrymore announced she was pulling out last Sunday.
The 48-year-old actress-turned-talk-show host was set to host the celebrations, but now she’s putting her influence behind writers struggling to earn better salaries and staff guarantees as studios increasingly look to the greatness of writers to limit ‘ spaces and reduce the number of episodes per series. “I’ve been listening to the writers, and to truly respect them, I will step away from hosting the MTV Movie & TV Awards live in solidarity with the strike,” Barrymore told Variety. “Everything we celebrate and honor about films and television grew out of their creation.”
MTV Movie & TV Awards 2023 WINNER
BEST MOVIE
Avatar: The Way of Water
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
elvis
nope
Scream VI (WINNER)
Smile
Top Gun: Maverick
BEST SHOW
stranger things
The Last of Us (WINNER)
The White Lotus
Wednesday
wolf pack
yellowstone
Yellow jackets
BEST PERFORMANCE IN A FILM
Austin Butler—Elvis
Florence Pugh – Don’t worry darling
KeKe Palmer – No
Michael B. Jordan – Creed III
Tom Cruise – Top Gun: Maverick (WINNER)
BEST PERFORMANCE IN A SHOW
Aubrey Plaza – The White Lotus
Christina Ricci – Yellow Jackets
Jenna Ortega – Wednesday (WINNER)
Riley Keough – Daisy Jones and the Six
Sadie Sink – Stranger Things
Selena Gomez – Murders in the building only
BEST HERO
Diego Luna — Andor
Jenna Ortega – Wednesday
Paul Rudd — Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania
Pedro Pascal – The Last of Us (WINNER)
Tom Cruise – Top Gun: Maverick
BEST VILLAIN
Elizabeth Olsen – Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (WINNER)
Harry Styles – Don’t worry darling
Jamie Campbell BowerStranger Things
M3GAN — M3GAN
The Bear – Cocaine Bear
BEST KISS
Anna Torv + Philip Prajoux – The Last of Us
Harry Styles + David Dawson – My Cop
Madison Bailey + Rudy Pankow – Outer Banks (WINNER)
Riley Keough + Sam Claflin – Daisy Jones & The Six
Selena Gomez + Cara Delevingne – Only Murders in the Building
BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE
Adam Sandler – Murder Mystery 2 (WINNER)
Dylan O’Brien – Not okay
Jennifer Coolidge – Shotgun Wedding
KeKe Palmer – No
Quinta Brunson – Abbott Elementary School
BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Bad Bunny – Bullet Train
Bella Ramsey – The Last of Us
Emma D’Arcy – House of the Dragon
Joseph Quinn – Stranger Things (WINNER)
Rachel Sennott — Body Body Body
BEST FIGHT
Brad Pitt (Ladybug) vs. Bad Bunny (The Wolf) – Bullet Train
Courteney Cox (Stormweather) vs. Ghostface – Scream VI (WINNER)
Jamie Campbell Bower (Vecna) vs. Millie Bobby Brown (Elf) – Stranger Things
Keanu Reeves (John Wick) vs All – John Wick 4
Escape from Narkina 5 – Andor
MOST TERRIBLE PERFORMANCE
Jennifer Coolidge – The White Lotus (WINNER)
Jesse Tyler Ferguson – Cocaine Bear
Justin Long – Barbarian
Rachel Sennott — Body Body Body
Sosie Bacon — Smile
BEST DUO
Camila Mendes + Maya Hawke – Revenge
Jenna Ortega + Thing – Wednesday
Pedro Pascal + Bella Ramsey – The Last of Us (WINNER)
Simona Tabasco + Beatrice Grannò – The White Lotus
Tom Cruise + Miles Teller – Top Gun: Maverick
BEST KICK ASS CAST
Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Outer Banks
Stranger Things (WINNER)
Teen Wolf: The Movie
BEST SONG
Demi Lovato — Still Alive (Scream VI)
Doja Cat — Vegas (Elvis)
Lady Gaga – Hold My Hand (Top Gun: Maverick)
OneRepublic – I’m Not Worried (Top Gun: Maverick)
Rihanna – Pick Me Up (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)
Taylor Swift – Carolina (Where The Crawdads Sing) (WINNER)
BEST REALITY DOCUMENTARY SERIES
Jersey Shore family vacation
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
Family Reunion: Love & Hip Hop Edition
The Kardashians (WINNER)
Vanderpump Rules
BEST COMPETITION SERIES
All Star Shores
Big Brother
RuPaul’s Drag Race: All-Stars (WINNER)
The challenge: United States
The traitors
BEST HOST
Drew Barrymore — The Drew Barrymore Show (WINNER)
Joel Madden – Master of Ink
Nick Cannon – The Masked Singer
RuPaul — RuPaul’s Drag Race
Kelly Clarkson — The Kelly Clarkson Show
BEST REALITY ON-SCREEN TEAM (presented by SONIC®)
Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, Vinny Guadagnino, Pauly D (MVP) – Jersey Shore family vacation
Tori Deal and Devin Walker – The Challenge: Ride or Die
RuPaul Charles and Michelle Visage – RuPaul’s Drag Race
Ariana Madix, Katie Maloney, Scheana Shay, LaLa Kent – Vanderpump Rules (WINNER)
Garcelle Beauvais and Sutton Stracke – The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
BEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARY
halftime
Dear Lizzo
Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me (WINNER)
Sheryl
The Day the Music Died: The Story of Don McLean’s American Pie
BEST MUSICAL MOMENT
Come Back Home by Sofia Carson from the movie Purple Hearts (WINNER)
COMEDIC GENIUS AWARD
Jennifer Coolidge (WINNER)