Things are getting crazy in Hollywood as the organisers behind the Golden Globes, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), continue to come under fire. Earlier this week, they voted in reforms to widen its membership, but there are still criticisms over a lack of diversity and unethical practices.
Organisers are being accused of everything from discriminatory practices to accepting "freebies" that could sway their judgement. We also recently learned that there's not a single Black person in the group of 87 members who vote for the awards each year. The HFPA has vowed to be more transparent and hire diversity advisers, but that's clearly not enough.
Black Widow star Scarlett Johansson has been particularly vocal this week, alleging "sexist questions and remarks by certain HFPA members that bordered on sexual harassment." Major studios are also distancing themselves, and Mission: Impossible's Tom Cruise has just handed back his three awards in protest (those were for Jerry Maguire, Born on the Fourth of July, and Magnolia).
To make matters worse for the HFPA, NBC has just announced that it will not air the Golden Globes ceremony in 2022, leaving the popular awards show without a home in the U.S.
"We continue to believe that the HFPA is committed to meaningful reform," the network says in a statement. "However, change of this magnitude takes time and work, and we feel strongly that the HFPA needs time to do it right. As such, NBC will not air the 2022 Golden Globes. Assuming the organization executes on its plan, we are hopeful we will be in a position to air the show in January 2023."
Things aren't looking good for them, and it seems likely more actors will follow in Cruise's footsteps. Whether the HFPA will be able to overcome this obviously remains to be seen.