NBC has canceled any plans to air the 2022 Golden Globes amid continued controversy around the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the non-profit organization that bestows the awards. The decision comes close on the heels of WarnerMedia's decision to cut ties with the group, as have Amazon and Netflix.
According to Deadline, it's all tied up in the non-profit organization's failure to make strides towards real reform toward greater diversity and inclusion, an issue that has come front and center across media companies and greater American society.
Why are the Globes on thin ice? In February of 2020, news broke that none of the 87 members that make up the HFPA are Black. The revelation inspired a Time's Up campaign which targeted the lack of diversity in the winners and nominations as a function of the HFPA's own failure to empower voters of color. Leaders with the non-profit took to the stage during the Award ceremony and promised change, but viewership plummeted nonetheless.
See also: Actor Leslie Odom Jr. on Life After 'Hamilton'
Matters were made worse when racially-offensive remarks from former president and new Diversity and Inclusion advisor Dr. Shaun Harper and HFPA crisis manager Judy Smith were leaked into the press. Harper and Smith walked away from their positions.
On May 6, 75 of the HFPA’s 86 members voted for an inclusion and overhaul proposal in order to reframe the narrative. The first step of their reforms includes a 50 percent increase in membership in the next 18 months, the hiring a CEO and other top positions, as well as conducting ethics measures. Still, NBD worries that a change this big takes time and will not be close to ready by next year.
“We feel strongly that the HFPA needs time to do it right,” the network is quoted in Deadline. “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.”
In 2018, NBCUniversal agreed to pay $60 million annually for the rights to air the Golden Globes until 2026. It is currently unclear whether or not NBC will pay that fee for 2022. Read more about NBC's decision via Deadline.
Photography by: Billy Farrell/BFA
