NBC Will Not Air the 2022 Golden Globes
NBC has dumped the annual awards show from its schedule next year following widespread criticism of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
The decision follows months of criticism of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for a lack of diversity among its members, as well as ethical lapses.
The move comes despite the HFPA announcing a slew of potential reforms last week which were slammed as “window dressing platitudes” by Time’s Up and then prompted three high-profile studios to distance themselves from the organization.
Then WarnerMedia joined the boycott earlier Monday. A group of 100 publicity firms likewise said they would “continue to refrain from any HFPA sanctioned events” until more meaningful reform was made.
The HFPA has been under fire since it was revealed in Los Angeles Times article in February that its organization had no Black journalists among its 87 members. Time’s Up launched a campaign to pressure the organization to reform, and the call to action was picked up by the media and Hollywood heavy hitters.
The proposed reforms announced last week calls for the addition of “at least 20 new members in 2021, with a specific focus on recruiting Black members,” and with “a goal of increasing the membership by 50% over the next 18 months.” It also eliminates the requirement that HFPA members must reside in Southern California, expanding eligibility to any qualified journalist living in the U.S. who works for a foreign outlet. It also opened membership to journalists who work “in media beyond print”; eliminates the requirement that new members must be sponsored by existing members, as well as to adhere to “a new code of conduct.” This code of conduct will mandate that members no longer accept promotional items and aims to better address the “structure of press travel” and “press conference procedures, including consulting with publicists.”
NBC initially endorsed the HFPA’s plan along with producer Dick Clark Productions, saying, “We believe that the plan presented charts a course for meaningful reform at the HFPA.”
But Time’s Up slammed the reforms as not going far enough, which resulted in the HFPA’s spiral accelerating.
“Sadly, the list of ‘reforms’ adopted yesterday, and endorsed by NBCUniversal and Dick Clark Productions, are sorely lacking and hardly transformational,” Tina Tchen, president and CEO of Time’s Up, said in a statement. “Instead, these measures ensure that the current membership of the HFPA will remain in the majority and that the next Golden Globe Awards will be decided with the same fundamental problems that have existed for years. The HFPA’s list of recommendations largely contains no specifics, no commitments to real accountability or change, and no real timeline to implement these changes. The HFPA’s proposed September 1 deadline for some — but not all — reforms comes well after the next award cycle will have started. And even its proposal to increase membership by 50% comes with no commitments that the decisions to admit new members will be made in an equitable and inclusive manner with full transparency and oversight. Even more striking is the complete silence from the HFPA about reforms to the deeply-troubled nominations and awards process. This includes the absence of any commitment to ensure that the Golden Globe awards and categories are free from discriminatory criteria, that the practice of unprofessional, exclusive press conferences will end, or that voting members will perform the basic function of watching the nominated projects. The window-dressing platitudes adopted yesterday are neither the transformation that was promised nor what our creative community deserves. Any organization or sponsors that set themselves up to pass judgment on our vibrant community of creators and talent must do better.”
