Details of Madison Bailey and Rudy Pankow's Best Kiss Win at the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards in Outer Banks

Madison Bailey and Rudy Pankow have won the Best Kiss award at the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards. However, both Outer Banks stars were absent from the event, which moved to a pre-taped format due to the Writers Guild of America planning to picket the event and host Drew Barrymore dropping out to show her support for the writers strike. Pedro Pascal, Ariana Madix, and Jennifer Coolidge were some of the stars who pre-taped acceptance speeches for the ceremony, but Pankow and Bailey did not.

The Best Kiss award is one of the most anticipated categories at the MTV Movie & TV Awards, and the 2023 nominees added to the hype. The Last of Us' Anna Torv and Philip Prajoux, My Policeman's Harry Styles and David Dawson, Daisy Jones & the Six's Riley Keough and Sam Claflin, and Only Murders in the Building's Selena Gomez and Cara Delevingne were all nominated.

Prior to the awards, Bailey and Pankow's onscreen romance on Outer Banks caused a stir among fans. Their characters, Kiara and JJ, finally acted on their chemistry in season 3. Bailey said that fans would "finally" see the characters "act on their chemistry that has been present since season 1," and Pankow said that he could see JJ and Kiara being together in the future.

Meanwhile, Gomez and Delevingne received an outpouring of love from viewers after they kissed on Only Murders in the Building season 2. Delevingne noted how fun and comfortable the scene was, given that they knew each other well.

The Best Kiss award has long been a highlight of the MTV Movie & TV Awards. In 2000, Selma Blair and Sarah Michelle Gellar's kiss in Cruel Intentions caused a roaring response from the audience. Five years later, real-life couple Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams shared a steamy kiss on stage after winning for The Notebook. In 2021, Chase Stokes and Madelyn Cline made out while accepting the Best Kiss award.