Hollywood’s growing crackdown on the scandal-ridden Hollywood Foreign Press Association turned into an avalanche on Monday, as NBC announced it would not air the HFPA’s Golden Globe Awards in 2022.
The network’s move comes after a range of leading film and television companies, including Netflix, Amazon and WarnerMedia, have moved away from the HFPA and the Globes in recent days. The HFPA has not said whether it will try to host a Globes ceremony next year.
The 87-member group, made up of critics for foreign media, was engulfed by issues ranging from the preferential treatment sought by its members to the lack of racial representation in its ranks, which did not include any black members, according to a Los Angeles investigation. Times. this year.
Some of the HFPA’s issues have been an open secret for years among Hollywood insiders, even as entertainment companies elevated the Globes to the Globes as a major awards event and harbinger of the Oscars, which will follow. weeks later.
In another blow to the HFPA and the Globes on Monday, A-lister Tom Cruise on Monday turned in his three Globes for “Born on the Fourth of July” and “Jerry Maguire,” according to Variety. This follows criticism of the group by other prominent A-listers, including Scarlett Johansson and Mark Ruffalo.
NBC has said it wants to give the HFPA time to work out its issues and is hoping it will be possible to air the event in 2023.
“We continue to believe that the HFPA is committed to meaningful reform. However, a change of this magnitude takes time and work, and we believe that the HFPA needs time to get it right. such, NBC will not be airing the 2022 Golden Globes. Assuming the organization executes its plan, we hope we will be able to air the show in January 2023, “NBC said in the statement.
When asked about NBC’s move, HFPA board members on Monday released a detailed timetable for the reforms promised in a letter last week, culminating in a new board and management team in early August. NBC executives privately blamed the HFPA’s lack of specificity for its decision to bail out the broadcast.
The HFPA statement, which reflected some uncertainty over the 2022 ceremony, expressed a commitment to transformative change.
“Regardless of the upcoming Golden Globes air date, implementing transformational change as quickly – and as carefully as possible – remains our organization’s top priority,” said the HFPA Board of Directors. “We invite our industry partners to sit down at the table to work with us on long overdue systemic reform, both in our organization and in the industry in general.”
Netflix and Warner Bros. boycotted the Golden Globes
Netflix shared its decision to withdraw a letter from CEO Ted Sarandos to HFPA leadership on Thursday, concluding that the organization’s reform measures will not be enough to solve the problems.
“We stop all activity with your organization until more significant changes are made,” he wrote. “We know you have many well-meaning members who want a fair and inclusive industry. But Netflix and many of the talent and creators we work with cannot ignore the HFPA’s collective failure to address these critical issues with urgency and rigor. “
In a letter to HFPA chairman Ali Sar on Sunday, executives at WarnerMedia, which includes HBO, Warner Bros. film and television studios, TNT and TBS, said the company “would continue to abstain from from any direct engagement with the HFPA, including sanctioned press conferences and invitations to cover other industry events with talent “until stronger changes are implemented.
While calling for the HFPA to be more inclusive in its membership ranks, the letter also noted that WarnerMedia has struggled to secure press conferences for black artists and creators, whose work “has often been next. ignored in your nomination and award process “.
He also cited press conferences “where our talent was asked racially callous, sexist and homophobic questions”, as well as “requests for benefits, special favors and unprofessional requests” from members of HFPA. He called on the organization to adopt a code of conduct “which includes zero tolerance for unwanted physical contact of all talent and staff.”
NBC pays $ 60 million a year to broadcast Globes
The Globes are the main source of revenue for the HFPA – Variety reported in 2018 that NBC was paying $ 60 million a year for broadcast rights in an eight-year pact that runs until 2026 – and is also prominent in Hollywood’s annual awards season. , setting the table with nominees and winners leading up to the Oscars. It is unlikely that the Globes will be able to relocate to another broadcast point under NBC’s contract.
The bulk of NBC’s payment goes towards the production costs of the show. If there is no show, there may be little to pay. USA TODAY has reached out to representatives from HFPA for comment on NBC’s decision and whether to hold the Globes in 2022.
The Globes, held in the Beverly Hilton Ballroom in Beverly Hills and promoted as “Hollywood’s biggest party,” traditionally draw huge audiences, just behind the Oscars (and sometimes the Grammys) among awards show. However, a social-distancing ceremony held in New York and Los Angeles on February 28 drew a record 6.9 million viewers, down 64% from the 18.4 million people who watched the ‘January 2020 show. Several other awards shows have hit their own records since then.