Citing the present Hollywood writers strike, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos is not going to be attending subsequent week’s PEN America Gala in Manhattan, when he was to just accept a Enterprise Visionary Award. PEN America is not going to be presenting the award this 12 months, saying the distinction is premised upon the recipient accepting in individual.
The Gala, to be held Could 18 on the American Museum of Pure Historical past, is without doubt one of the 12 months’s literary highlights and can characteristic the presentation of a number of awards, together with one to “Saturday Night time Dwell” creator Lorne Michaels for Literary Service.
“Given the menace to disrupt this glorious night, I believed it was finest to drag out in order to not distract from the necessary work that PEN America does for writers and journalists, in addition to the celebration of my good friend and private hero Lorne Michaels,” Sarandos mentioned in a press release launched Wednesday by Netflix. “I hope the night is a superb success.”
A PEN spokesperson mentioned that nobody this 12 months can be given the Enterprise Visionary Award, which in 2022 was gained by Audible founder Don Katz. A Netflix spokesperson mentioned there can be no remark past Sarandos’ assertion.
Michaels, whose present has been off the air for the reason that strike started Could 2, remains to be planning to attend, in response to PEN. The pinnacle author at SNL, Writers Guild member Colin Jost, can be serving as emcee.
In a press release Wednesday, PEN America praised Sarandos’ “singular work translating literature to suave presentation on display screen and his stalwart protection of free expression and satire,” and added that as “a writers group, we now have been following latest occasions intently and perceive his choice.
“Our Gala program, with honorees together with Saturday Night time Dwell‘s Lorne Michaels and emcee Colin Jost, will heart on the escalating marketing campaign of guide bans on this nation, tightening constraints on satire and comedy, and assist of threatened writers worldwide. We sit up for a shifting and galvanizing occasion that can gas our fervent work on behalf of free speech.”
