Tony Awards – featuring host Ariana DeBose – will NOT be televised as it is impacted by WGA strike

The Broadway community was dealt a major blow Friday when it was announced that the 2023 Tony Awards will not be televised on June 11 with host Ariana DeBose.

The Tony’s are the most recent awards show to be hit by the Writers Guild of America strike after the WGA rejected a waiver allowing the Broadway League to continue with the show, according to THR.

The league must now choose between two different paths: hold a non-televised presentation on June 11, or postpone the Tonys until the end of the strike.

THR reports that the collection of producers and theater owners who are part of the Broadway League prefer the first option.

Meanwhile, the American Theater Wing that runs the Tony Awards is reportedly leaning towards the second option.

After hosting the 75th Tony Awards last year, DeBose was confirmed to return to headline the star-studded event, which serves to celebrate achievements in the theater world.

The actress released a statement last month to express her excitement for the then-scheduled awards ceremony.

She stated through The cover“I was honored to host last year and even more honored to be asked back! So I look forward to celebrating this incredible season and the people who make this work possible.”

The Academy Award winner was previously nominated for the 2018 Tony Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for her work in Summer: The Donna Summer Musical.

The Writers Guild of America strike is winding down its second week, after the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) failed to reach a deal on May 1, when the current three-year deal expired .

The writers are looking for better wages, with writers’ salaries estimated to have dropped 23% over the last decade, while studio CEOs are raking in huge salaries.

The strike has already shut down all late-night talk shows, such as CBS’ Late Show Starring Stephen Colbert, NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live.

A number of scripted shows have also been shut down, most notably Netflix’s Stranger Things, with series creators Matt and Ross Duffer revealing they won’t go into production until the show’s fifth and final season once the strike is over.

The last writers’ strike in 2007/2008 lasted just over three months – 100 days to be exact.

However, given the great distance between the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) in their negotiations, this strike could very well last much, much longer.

In their petition to the WGA, the Broadway League indicated that the Tony Awards served to promote shows that often ran into financial difficulties due to declining attendances.

Nominees for Best Play this year are Ain’t No Mo’, Between Riverside and Crazy, Cost of Living, Fat Ham and Leopoldstadt.