NBC will not air the next Golden Globes after diversity controversy
New York(CNN Business) The Golden Globes will not be airing on NBC next year, temporarily ending a decades-long relationship between the network and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the nonprofit responsible for the awards.
The network announced that it would not carry the show in 2022 after controversy surrounding the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's lack of diversity and ethical questions related to financial benefits given to some members, such as a hotel stay in connection with an "Emily in Paris" junket.
Those revelations, first reported by the Los Angeles Times, have prompted several major outlets, including Netflix (NFLX) and WarnerMedia, CNN's parent company, to announce that they would not participate in any Globes-related events until the issues had been adequately addressed.
"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 on Monday.
The network added that assuming the organization "executes on its plan, we are hopeful we will be in a position to air the show in January 2023."
The Times reporting found that the group has no Black members, and raised questions about benefits received by some members stemming from the millions that NBC pays for the right to televise the event, which has traditionally been one of the highest rated in the awards calendar.
This year, however, ratings have plummeted for award shows across the board, including the Globes, due to a confluence of factors, foremost among them the coronavirus pandemic. The show, which was hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, was watched by 6.9 million, the lowest rating since the program moved to NBC in the 1990s.
The HFPA sought to quell the criticism by promising to bring in Black journalists, increasing its ranks from 87 members to 100. But that solution — and subsequent reporting based on internal conversations — only exacerbated the problem. Former HFPA president Philip Berk was ousted from the organization after forwarding an email that described Black Lives Matter as a "hate group."
Dominoes have continued falling since then, with Netflix announcing last week that it would not engage in any activities with the HFPA "until more meaningful changes are made." Previously, publicists extended a similar ultimatum to the organization.
The Globes have been plagued by controversy off and on for decades, with questions about the credentials of the journalists behind it and their efforts to prevent others from joining the group.
In one of the most famous scandals, the group honored Pia Zadora for the 1981 movie "Butterfly" — which was panned by most critics — after her wealthy husband, Israeli billionaire Meshulem Riklis, flew them to a screening in Las Vegas.
CBS dropped the show. At that point, Dick Clark Productions became involved in the telecast's production, first producing the awards for syndication, and subsequently negotiating TV deals with the cable network TBS and then, in 1993, NBC.
