The annual Emmy Awards that honours the best work on television has been postponed amidst the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike. The prestigious event originally scheduled to take place on September 18, has now been delayed, reported BBC. Members of the Screen Actors Guild and Writers Guild of America are currently protesting for fairer deals and contracts and those in the union are not allowed to work, or take part in any kind of promotional or publicity activity including making an appearance at award shows. Notably, this is the first time in 20 years that organisers of the Emmy had to postpone the award function.
It was in May when a union of Writers Guild of America representing over 11,000 members from the film, news, radio, and television industry went on strike. They’re demanding higher pay for labourers, fairer contracts, and strict provisions regarding the regulation of artificial intelligence. The protesters demand modern technology such as ChatGPT to be used merely to facilitate research and script ideas and not as a tool to replace them. The walkout resulted in the production halt of multiple famous TV shows including Saturday Night Live, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
According to BBC, the last time the Emmy Awards postponed its airing was during the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001.
2023 Emmy Awards nominations:
The nominations for the prestigious function were announced by Yvette Nicole Brown and Frank Scherma during a virtual ceremony over a week ago. Television shows including Succession, The White Lotus, and The Last of Us were among the leading series to dominate the list. Meanwhile, Ted Lasso, Wednesday, The Bear, and Abbott Elementary secured lead nominations in the comedy category. However, during the announcement, Emmy did not reveal their host hinting the ceremony might be postponed if the Hollywood writers’ strikes continue.
Last year Euphoria’s Zendaya and Squid Game’s Lee Jung-Jae bagged the Lead Actress and Actor award in the drama series category. Whereas in the comedy section, it was Hacks’ Jean Smart and Ted Lasso’s Jason Sudeikis.
Initially, the 75th Emmy Awards telecast was scheduled on Fox channel but now the new date for the ceremony has not been revealed by organizers yet.
