Why are the Emmys in January? It’s all about that strike
By Evan Rosen, New York Daily News
The annual Emmy Awards have traditionally aired in mid-September, on the Sunday before the start of the fall television season, but the 2023 ceremony was pushed back due to the now-settled Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strikes.
The Television Academy and Fox rescheduled the annual show for Jan. 15, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, nearly four months after its original Sept. 18 date.
SAG-AFTRA members and supporters chant outside Paramount Studios on day 118 of their strike against the Hollywood studios on November 8, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
It was the first time that the awards show had been delayed since 2001, when the ceremony was put on hold for seven weeks after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and subsequent United States invasion of Afghanistan, reports NPR.
The new date was chosen in August, as the show faced almost certain boycott by both actors and writers as a show of solidarity with their unions.
Just a day after the nominations for this year were released on July 12, the actors’ union, SAG-AFTRA, announced it was joining the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and going on strike.
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NPR TV critic Eric Deggans said at the time, “A long strike lasting into the fall is going to affect the pipeline of new shows. It’s possible next year’s Emmys won’t have nearly the amount of great shows that we have this year.”
The 75th Primetime Emmy Awards will take place on Monday at 8 p.m. EST, and will be broadcast live from the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles.
Actor and comedian Anthony Anderson will serve as host for the evening. Back in December, he released a statement expressing his excitement.
“With our industry’s recent challenges behind us, we can get back to what we love — dressing up and honoring ourselves,” Anderson said. “And there’s no better celebratory moment to bring the creative community together than the milestone 75th Emmy Awards.”
“When FOX asked me to host this historic telecast, I was over the moon that Taylor Swift was unavailable, and now I can’t wait to be part of the biggest night in television.”
The Creative Arts Emmys, acknowledging technical accomplishments, animation, reality, and documentary work, preceded the main event on Jan. 6 and 7.