2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards: ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race,’ ‘Scream VI’ win big

The popular awards ceremony shifted from a live broadcast to a pre-taped special in the final hours because of the Writers Guild of America strike.

TheGrio Staff

May 8, 2023

The “MTV Movie & TV Awards 2023” aired Sunday night on MTV, celebrating the biggest projects and stars in film and television over the past year and movies like “Scream VI” and shows like “RuPaul’s Drag Race” winning top honors.

This year’s ceremony was markedly different because of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike, per Variety. As theGrio previously reported, last week the WGA went on strike. Writers in both Los Angeles and New York picked and protested for better pay and working conditions in what is now the streaming era of Hollywood.

This forced the MTV awards show to pivot from a live event to a pre-taped special after several attendees pulled out of the show, including host Drew Barrymore, Variety reported. She plans to return for the 2024 ceremony.

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Still, the pre-taped ceremony was a star-studded affair. Barrymore appeared in pre-taped skits and winners virtually accepting their awards throughout the broadcast. One of the biggest wins went to history-making Season 7 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars.”

The cast, including runner-up Monét X Change, Jaida Essence Hall and winner Jinkx Monsoon, gave virtual acceptance speeches on Instagram. Monét said, “Listen, ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ continues to give life to and tell the story of so many queer people and queer people of color and we couldn’t be more grateful.”

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 7 & The Trevor Project - Empire State Building Lighting Ceremony — (L-R) Jinkx Monsoon, Monet X Change, Jaida Essence Hall, Yvie Oddly, The Vivienne, Trinity The Tuck, Raja and Shea Coulee attend “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars “Lights the Empire State Building for the Trevor Project event on May 9, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for ViacomCBS/Paramount+)

Hall addressed the recent attacks against the LGBTQ+ community and drag performers around the country, directly referencing the Drag Defense Fund, which helps supports the ACLU’s work to “defend and ensure LGBTQ+ rights.”

The biggest award of the night went to “Scream VI,” which broke box office records and earned largely positive reviews. Starring Mason Gooding, Jasmin Savoy Brown (“Yellowjackets”) and Jenna Ortega (“Wednesday”), the “requel” continues the “Scream” legacy, taking the iconic Ghostface character to New York City for the first time.