The SAG Awards are being pushed back from a shared March date with the Grammys. The SAG Awards will now be simulcast on TBS and TNT on Sunday, April 4 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
“Throughout these challenging times, our industry and our union members have proven their creativity and resilience in discovering new methods of storytelling while adapting to new safety protocols and procedures,” SAG-AFTRA said Wednesday in a statement. “We embrace that spirit as we re-imagine the SAG Awards with a one-hour special that highlights and expands on our signature ‘I am an Actor’ opening and honors the outstanding performances of the past year.”
The Grammys were recently pushed back to March 14. The SAG Awards had previously claimed that date.
SAG-AFTRA had said it was “extremely disappointed” that the Grammys moved to March 14 — but now it appears the larger union is being the bigger union.
“We are extremely disappointed to hear of the conflicting date, March 14, announced today for this year’s Grammy Awards telecast,” SAG-AFTRA said in a statement exactly one week ago. “We announced the same date for the SAG Awards last July with the intent to give the greatest possible scheduling consideration for other awards shows. We expect the same consideration from sister organizations throughout the industry.”
The group continued at the time: “The SAG Awards recognizes outstanding acting performances over the past year. We will again put on a spectacular show that accomplishes that mission. Our two organizations, SAG-AFTRA and the Recording Academy, share members and work together effectively to advocate for artists in many areas. In an environment that is increasingly challenging for televised awards programs, we also have a mutual interest in successfully showcasing the artistry and talent of our respective memberships. We are in contact with the Recording Academy and will continue to work with our sister organizations to find ways to make this year’s awards season as successful as possible.”
The 2021 Grammys, originally slated for Jan. 31, were postponed over COVID-19 concerns and ultimately rescheduled for March 14.
“After thoughtful conversations with health experts, our host and artists scheduled to appear, we are rescheduling ‘The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards’ to be broadcast Sunday, March 14, 2021. The deteriorating COVID situation in Los Angeles, with hospital services being overwhelmed, ICUs having reached capacity, and new guidance from state and local governments have all led us to conclude that postponing our show was the right thing to do,” the Recording Academy’s Harvey Mason Jr., CBS’ Jack Sussman and Grammy Awards executive producer Ben Winston said in a joint statement on Jan. 5.
They continued, “Nothing is more important than the health and safety of those in our music community and the hundreds of people who work tirelessly on producing the show. We want to thank all of the talented artists, the staff, our vendors and especially this year’s nominees for their understanding, patience and willingness to work with us as we navigate these unprecedented times.”
The 2021 Grammys, which will be hosted by “The Daily Show’s” Trevor Noah, was intended to be held without an audience and only allowing presenters and performers on site during the show. The Grammys are traditionally held at Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles and typically draw 18,000 attendees. This year, the show was planned to be held in the downtown area but in a greatly limited capacity.
Nominees for the 2021 Screen Actors Guild Awards will be announced on Thursday, Feb. 4 at 11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT. The eligibility period for this year’s movies and TV series is from Jan. 1, 2020 through Feb. 28, 2021.
Kathy Connell, Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner are executive producers of the 27th annual SAG Awards.
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