Under fire on diversity, Golden Globe Awards to take low profile
(NewsNation Now) — Those who planned to watch this year’s Golden Globe Awards must instead monitor the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s website and social media for updates, following an announcement that the “private event” will not be livestreamed.
The HFPA tweeted the news Friday after announcing earlier in the week that there would be no red carpet and no media credential requests would be accepted.
Updates will be posted in real time to the association’s website and social media accounts.
NBC announced in May that it wouldn’t air the 2022 Golden Globes amid growing pressure on the HFPA.
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has come under fire following an investigative report by The Los Angeles Times that recounted the organization’s questionable record on diversity — including, at the time, no Black members among its approximately 87 voting members.
This year, Kyle Bowser, senior vice president of the NAACP Hollywood Bureau, is expected to discuss “Reimagine Coalition,” a joint five-year initiative to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion across the global entertainment industry, according to a statement from the HFPA.
“Each year, the HFPA and the NAACP Hollywood Bureau will collaborate on, fund, and support a series of trailblazing initiatives, with the overall goals of ensuring visibility of projects from artists of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds; increasing diverse representation in the industry; and building pathways to inclusion for young artists and journalists of color,” the HFPA wrote.
In October, the association admitted what it referred to as its “largest and most diverse class to date,” with 21 new journalists and first-time Golden Globe voters.
Increasingly, Hollywood has abandoned the HFPA. Mark Ruffalo said last year that he “cannot feel proud or happy about being a recipient of this award” any longer. Scarlett Johansson also has said HFPA press conferences for her “meant facing sexist questions and remarks by certain HFPA members that bordered on sexual harassment.”
The select number of people granted in-person access to Sunday’s event will be required to show proof of vaccination and a booster dose along with a negative PCR test to gain entry.
All guests must wear masks and socially distance at all times, according to the HPFA.