2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards: Jennifer Coolidge’s WGA Support & More Must-See Moments

Dan Clarendon
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Jennifer Coolidge accepts the Comedic Genius Award at the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards
MTV

MTV Movie & TV Awards

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The writers strike upended producers’ plans for its 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards, and the Golden Popcorn was a bit tarnished as a result, but the awards show still delivered some viral-worthy moments. Here are some of the best:

Josie Geller returns

Sunday’s show opened with a sketch in which former host Drew Barrymore once again played Josie from Never Been Kissed, looking for love on the sets of Smile, Nope, Wednesday, The White Lotus, M3GAN, and Top Gun: Maverick, before getting it on with an unusual scene partner.

Pedro Pascal says young people deserve real heroes

“All the young people in the world are my heroes, and I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you,” the Last of Us actor said as he received the Best Hero award. “And 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 your individual rights to be fought for and protected. You deserve real heroes in this world.”

In a subsequent acceptance speech for Best Show, the actor said he was “standing in solidarity with the WGA, that is fighting very hard for fair wages.”

Drew’s a Barbie girl in a Barbie world

In another green-screen-enabled sketch, Barrymore joined the upcoming Barbie movie as the unofficial “Skipper,” saying she just showed on set until she made it on camera. “Everyone knows that Skipper is the logical, levelheaded one,” she said. “I can totally play that.”

Tom Cruise takes flight

The Top Gun: Maverick star delivered his Best Performance in a Movie award in midair, from the cockpit of his World War II-era P-51 Mustang. “I make these films for you,” he said. “I love you. I love entertaining you. To know how much you enjoy it, how much you appreciate it, there’s no better feeling.”

Jennifer Coolidge gets Shakespearean

Accepting the Comedic Genius Award, Coolidge quoted one of William Shakespeare’s most famous lines — “the play’s the thing” — as she expressed solidarity with the striking WGA members. The White Lotus star also won the Best Frightened Performance trophy on Sunday.

Drag queens support a royally important cause

Fan faves from RuPaul’s Drag Race spoke out against anti-trans legislation and drag queen bans during their Best Competition series, with Jaida Essence Hall calling for donations to the Drag Defense Fund, which supports the ACLU’s fight for LGBTQ+ equality.

Sneak peeks of possible 2024 award winners

MTV also aired sneak peeks of The Little Mermaid, Yellowjackets, and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts during the show.

MTV Movie & TV Awards

Drew Barrymore

Jennifer Coolidge

Pedro Pascal

Tom Cruise




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