It's being reported that the 2023 ESPY awards show will not have a host — a first for the ceremony in its three decades of operation.
The Big Lead broke the news of a hostless ESPYs ceremony. The reason for no host is the ongoing WGA writers' strike that's still going on as we speak.
From the very first ESPY Awards ceremony in 1993, there was a host for the show. Dennis Miller was the inaugural host, but celebrities including Samuel L. Jackson (who has hosted it three times), LeBron James, Jimmy Kimmel, Peyton Manning, John Cena, and Anthony Mackie. Golden State Warriors point guard Steph Curry was the most recent host of the show.
The WGA writers' strike has been going on since May with picket lines still going on. The short of it is that writers are hoping to get better wages and job security as the surprise of streaming has made jobs more difficult and increased the demand asked of writers.
Without writers being present, there are limited options for award shows like the ESPYs. The Tony Awards — Broadway's awards show — had Ariana DeBose (West Side Story) host their ceremony despite it being a writer-less ceremony. In turn, there were more musical numbers and the show was relatively well-received.
For the ESPYs, we will see how a hostless ceremony goes. Perhaps some athletes and celebrities will still pop up, but the reality of it is that the strike needs to end sooner than later so we can go back to normal.
Follow Us
Subscribe