In what has been a shocking week for showbusiness, NBC has scrapped its TV coverage of next year's Golden Globes. In addition, Tom Cruise has handed back three of the awards he's won over the years.
This comes after the Golden Globes' organizers, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), was accused of racism, sexism and other discriminatory actions.
Here, we break down why the Globes have been boycotted, and which celebrities and organisations have spoken out about the star-studded event...
Why are the Golden Globes being criticised?
The HFPA has been accused of discriminatory practices, accepting "freebies" and other moral lapses.
Allegations came to light after a Los Angeles Times exposé in February revealed that there were no Black people amongst the organizations' 87-member strong voting panel. This has resulted in an outcry against the HFPA for its failure to reform its lack of diversity.
The publication also stated that members of HFPA participated in lavish junkets and hotel stays, where they excluded qualified journalists. They also accuse the organisation of making payments totalling almost $2 million to its members.
In an example of such practices, the Los Angeles Times reported that Paramount Network, which developed Emily in Paris, treated no less than three dozen HFPA members to stay at the five-star Peninsula hotel in Paris to promote the series.
While the show had a mixed critical response, it was later nominated for a Golden Globe, leading to much confusion online.
Why did Tom Cruise hand back his awards?
On Monday, Cruise returned his three Golden Globes in a huge blow to the Golden Globes organisers, per Deadline.
The trophies returned to the HFPA headquarters are the Best Actor prize he won for Jerry Maguire, the Best Actor award for Born on the Fourth of July, and the Best Supporting Actor gong for Magnolia.
More celebrities are expected to follow suit...
What other celebrities have criticised the awards ceremony?
Scarlett Johansson, who has been nominated for five Golden Globes, has urged people within the film industry to boycott the HFPA unless it makes significant changes. Explaining her argument, the Avengers actor said she recalled facing "sexist questions and remarks by certain HFPA members that bordered on sexual harassment."
In a statement, provided to EW, she wrote: "[The] HFPA is an organization that was legitimized by the likes of Harvey Weinstein to amass momentum for Academy recognition. Unless there is necessary fundamental reform within the organization, I believe it is time that we take a step back from the HFPA."
Mark Ruffalo, who starred alongside Johansson in Avengers, added that the HFPA's were "discouraging", and praised NBC's decision to drop the Globes amid the scandal. "Now is the time to step up and right the wrongs of the past," he wrote in a statement posted on Twitter. "Honestly, as a recent winner of a Golden Globe, I cannot feel proud or happy about being a recipient of this award.
American filmmaker, Ava DuVernay, who was behind the acclaimed Selma and 13th, also took to Twitter to thank those "who took a stand to make this so," as well as NBC's decision
"Everything matters. Even this," she wrote. "The ripple effects echo through our industry, especially for Black artists and artists of color. Kudos to all the activists, artists, publicists and executives who took a stand to make this so."
And Shonda Rhimes, who previously slammed the HFPA for the way they treated Bridgerton, corroborated: "Every step forward matters. So many people in front of/behind the camera, at studios/streamers & PR firms took a stand to shift a piece of the biz model that affects the economic futures of artists who are often tokenized/not included. These steps can work in any industry [sic]."
Has NBC cancelled the Golden Globes?
NBC, which has aired the awards ceremony since 1996, has announced that it won't be broadcasting the Golden Globes next year.
"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," NBC said in a statement published on Monday.
WarnerMedia, Netflix and Amazon Studios are also refusing to participate in HFPA-related events.
Last week, Netflix's co-chief executive stated: "We don't believe these proposed new policies – particularly around the size and speed of membership growth – will tackle the HFPA's systemic diversity and inclusion challenges, or the lack of clear standards for how your members should operate."
Additionally, a group of more than 100 PR firms, corroborated the streaming services' response. "We will continue to refrain from any HFPA sanctioned events, including press conferences, unless and until these issues are illuminated in detail with a firm commitment to a timeline that respects the looming 2022 season reality," they wrote.
"May 6 was the day the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) said the Golden Globes would detail its commitment to transformational change and would finally uproot the systemic and longstanding racism, misogyny and corruption widely reported as endemic to the HFPA and the Golden Globe Awards," Time's Up president and CEO, Tina Tchen, added.
"Sadly, the list of ‘reforms’ adopted yesterday, and endorsed by NBCUniversal and Dick Clark Productions, are sorely lacking and hardly transformational."
How has the HFPA responded?
On Saturday, the HFPA issued a statement, in which it promised to make "transformational change" after coming under fire for its lack of diversity, and ethical issues.
The Instagram post detailed that they would be hiring an independent diversity and equity expert, who will consult on membership policies. They also stated that they would be increasing support for mentorship and scholarship programmes for Black and minority ethnic students, who want to pursue international journalism.
Annual anti-racism, unconscious bias education and sexual harassment training will also be put in place for every member of the HFPA.
"These are the initial steps we will take over the next 60 days and we will carry out further actions based on recommendations that come from these initial reviews and assessments," the organization asserted.
On Monday, the HFPA released an updated timetable for reforms that called for major changes, a new board, and an expansion of membership by at least 20 people by August 2nd, 2021.
What's next?
The main issue here is that organisations and individuals feel like the changes aren't being enacted enough.
Variety reports that organisations will continue to boycott the Golden Globes and other HFPA affiliated events until the proposed reforms are put in place.
The timeline published by the HFPA says that a new board and new members will be in place by the first week of August.
But only time will tell if this will be quick enough for its critics...
