Tom Cruise is the latest actor to protest the Golden Globes after handing back his awards.
According to Deadline, the 58-year-old Mission Impossible star returned three of the Golden Globes he won over the years to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association this week.
These include awards for Best Actor for his role in Jerry Maguire, Best Actor for his performance in Born on the Fourth of July, and his award for Best Supporting Actor in Paul Thomas Anderson's 1999 movie Magnolia.
Cruise's gesture comes amid a tumult of celebrity outrage over the Golden Globes after the Los Angeles Times revealed back in February that there were no Black members of the HFPA.
The controversy only intensified following former president Phillip Berk's expulsion from the group, after he shared an article with other members that referred to the Black Lives Matter movement as a "racist hate group."
Avengers star Scarlett Johansson chose to boycott the organization, writing in a statement per Variety:
"Unless there is necessary fundamental reform within the organization, I believe it is time that we take a step back from the HFPA and focus on the importance and strength of unity within our unions and the industry as a whole."
In protest, Deadline reports that NBC has pledged not to air the 2022 Golden Globes on its network, claiming in an official statement: "We continue to believe that the HFPA is committed to meaningful reform"
"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."
On May 6, 75 of the HFPA’s 86 members voted for an inclusion and overhaul proposal in a bid to reverse the PR damage caused by its lack of inclusivity.
Per The Guardian, a spokesperson for the organization stated: "Regardless of the next air date of the Golden Globes, implementing transformational changes as quickly [...] as possible remains the top priority for our organization.
"We invite our partners in the industry to the table to work with us on the systemic reform that is long overdue, both in our organization as well as within the industry at large."
