The entertainment industry persevered through the ongoing writers strike as the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards took place, celebrating the hard work and achievements of artists across various categories. Throughout the night, participants and winners displayed solidarity and support for the striking writers.
Scream VI emerged as the winner in the Best Movie category, while The Last of Us stole the spotlight with three awards, including Best Show. Pedro Pascal, who starred in The Last of Us, claimed the Best Hero award and shared the Best Duo award with his co-star, Bella Ramsey. Host Drew Barrymore, who dropped out of the live event to support the striking writers, still managed to appear in several pre-taped segments and was awarded Best Host.
Tom Cruise secured the Best Performance in a Movie award for his role in Top Gun: Maverick, and Jenna Ortega won Best Performance in a Show for her work in Wednesday. The Comedic Genius Award was presented to Jennifer Coolidge, who expressed her support for the striking writers during her acceptance speech.
New categories made their debut this year, such as Best Reality Onscreen Team and Best Kick-Ass Cast, with fans determining the winners. Memorable moments throughout the night included Tom Cruise accepting his award from the cockpit of a fighter jet and various winners showing support for the writers on strike.
Below is the complete list of winners from the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards:
- Best Movie: Scream VI
- Best Show: The Last of Us
- Best Performance in a Movie: Tom Cruise — Top Gun: Maverick
- Best Performance in a Show: Jenna Ortega — Wednesday
- Best Hero: Pedro Pascal — The Last of Us
- Best Villain: Elizabeth Olsen — Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
- Best Kiss: Madison Bailey + Rudy Pankow — Outer Banks
- Best Comedic Performance: Adam Sandler — Murder Mystery 2
- Breakthrough Performance: Joseph Quinn — Stranger Things
- Best Fight: Courteney Cox (Gale Weathers) vs. Ghostface — Scream VI
- Most Frightened Performance: Jennifer Coolidge — The White Lotus
- Best Duo: Pedro Pascal + Bella Ramsey — The Last of Us
- Best Kick-Ass Cast: Stranger Things
- Best Song: Taylor Swift — “Carolina” (Where the Crawdads Sing)
- Best Docu-Reality Series: The Kardashians
- Best Competition Series: RuPaul’s Drag Race: All-Stars
- Best Host: Drew Barrymore — The Drew Barrymore Show
- Best Reality Onscreen Team: Ariana Madix, Katie Maloney, Scheana Shay, LaLa Kent — Vanderpump Rules
- Best Music Documentary: Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me
- Best Musical Moment: Purple Hearts: “Come Back Home”
The 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards highlighted the resilience of the entertainment industry in the face of challenges presented by the writers strike, showcasing a strong sense of unity and a commitment to recognizing the outstanding work of its artists.
