Primetime Emmy Awards Postponed Due To Ongoing WGA & SAG-AFTRA Strikes
By Jeffrey Harris on July 28, 2023 at 4:15 AM EDT
The 2023 Primetime Emmy Awards have been postponed, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Due to the ongoing labor strikes by the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the actors' guild, SAG-AFTRA, against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the Television Academy has opted to move the 2023 Emmy Awards from its usual airdate in September.
The Television Academy Opts To Postpone Emmy Awards Due To Ongoing Labor Strikes
The 75th Annual Emmy Awards were previously scheduled to air on September 18 on the FOX Network. The Television Academy has not yet announced a new airdate. According to THR, sources who are close to the show stated that the original air date and month are no longer in consideration.
The report also notes that the awards show would ideally take place after the guilds reach new contracts with the AMPTP. At the moment, the TV Academy and FOX are still reportedly in talks for when the event will be rescheduled.
With neither strike having an end in sight at the moment, had the network and the TV Academy moved forward with the previously scheduled airdate, they ran the risk of running the awards show with a mostly empty room. Sixteen of the 25 awards shown during the 2022 Emmy Awards broadcast were awarded to actors or writers. Under current SAG-AFTRA strike rules, actors are not allowed to do publicity for work made by companies they are striking against. An awards show such as the Emmys falls under those rules.
Additionally, striking WGA writers also provide material for the host and presenters at the Emmy Awards, who would also likely be members of SAG-AFTRA. The delay will give the TV Academy some distance, and hopefully, more time for the guilds and AMPTP to reach new contract deals.
THR notes that this will be the first time the Emmy Awards show has been postponed in more than two decades. The last time the show was delayed was when the TV Academy and CBS opted to delay the award ceremony in 2001 due to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Instead, the ceremony was broadcast later in November 2001.
Also, THR reports that the TV Academy will move forward with Phase 2 of the voting for the Emmy Awards as planned. TV Academy members will begin voting on nominees starting August 17. It remains to be seen if the awards for 2023's nominees will be announced later this year.
The TV Academy already announced nominees for this year's awards earlier this month by Yvette Nicole Brown and Television Academy Chair Frank Scherma. The WGA has been embroiled in a labor dispute against the AMPTP since early May. Meanwhile, SAG-AFTRA declared its own strike against the AMPTP on July 14. The combined strikes have brought a veritable halt to the entertainment industry, with major shows and productions halted or put on pause until the strike issues have been resolved. These include late-night talk shows, scripted television shows, and major Hollywood blockbuster productions.
