Emmys Ceremony Is Reportedly Being Pushed Back Amid Hollywood Strikes
Due to the ongoing joint strike between the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild, the 2023 Emmys will almost definitely be delayed.
According to an exclusive report by Variety, vendors have been informed that the ceremony will not air on September 18, 2023, as was previously planned. The WGA has been on strike since May of this year, but when SAG-AFTRA joined on July 14, 2023, actors stopped doing publicity for any projects whatsoever — which means that, if the Emmys decided to go ahead and air in September without any resolution on the strike, no big names would be present. Vendors have also been told that the Creative Arts Emmys, which would have taken place on September 9 & 10, are delayed as well.
The Emmys haven't been postponed for over two decades, but the entertainment industry is currently in an unprecedented situation. With writers and actors striking simultaneously, public appearances are off the table — and that includes the Emmys.
The Emmys will wait until the joint strikes are resolved
Every year, the Emmy Awards reward the best accomplishments in television — but with writers and actors both striking, the awards can't go on as they usually would. The WGA and SAG-AFTRA are currently united against the AMPTP (the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers) over two incredibly important issues: the advent of A.I. technology and streaming residuals.
SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher (yes, that Fran Drescher, the one from "The Nanny") likely put it best when she leveled her fury towards the AMPTP as SAG-AFTRA officially joined the WGA on strike. "The eyes of the world — and particularly the eyes of labor — are upon us," Drescher said in her speech. "I cannot believe it, quite frankly, how far apart we are on so many things. How they plead poverty, that they're losing money left and right, while they give hundreds of millions of dollars to their CEOs. It is disgusting... At some point, we have to say no, we're not going to take it anymore. We came together with the largest strike authorization vote in our union's history."
This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. To learn more about why writers and actors are currently on strike, click here for an up-to-date explainer from our Looper team.