NBC Drops Golden Globes after Reports on Lack of Racial Diversity
NBC announced it would not host the 2022 Golden Globes following a series of Los Angeles Times reports about an alleged lack of diversity within the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which manages the awards.
The HFPA was described as an opaque organization which, while it included people of different ethnicities, had no black members as of this year, according to the Times. The investigation also uncovered allegations that members try to keep some talented journalists out of the organization because they are seen as a threat to current members.
Additionally, the nonprofit HFPA pays its members in ways that may violate IRS guidelines, the Times found.
“None of these allegations has ever been proven in court or in any investigation, [and they] simply repeat old tropes about the HFPA and reflect unconscious bias against the HFPA’s diverse membership,” an HFPA spokesman told the Times in response to the allegations.
However, following backlash among Hollywood stars and certain studios, NBC announced on Monday that it would not air the Golden Globes next year after hosting them since 1996.
“We continue to believe that the HFPA is committed to meaningful reform,” NBC said 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.”
Actress Scarlett Johansson slammed the HFPA in a statement on Saturday, saying the Golden Globes were “legitimized by the likes of Harvey Weinstein” as a way to gain wider recognition.
Appearing at HFPA events “has often meant facing sexist questions and remarks by certain HFPA members that bordered on sexual harassment,” Johansson said. “Unless there is necessary fundamental reform within the organization, I believe it is time that we take a step back from the HFPA.”
