HOLLYWOOD RUNS THE GOLDEN GLOBES OUT OF TOWN
Last Friday, NBC-Universal extended hope for a Golden Globes show in January 2022, so long as the Hollywood Foreign Press Association acted swiftly enough to make “meaningful change.” Monday, three days later, the network announced that the 2022 Golden Globe Award show was canceled. It’s an unexpected turn of events reminiscent of the Harvey Weinstein-#MeToo cultural shift in 2017: Promising to turn over a new leaf is meaningless if the industry sees you as a noxious weed.
On May 3, 2021, the HFPA announced plans for a reform package, including a 50% increase in members over the next 18 months with a particular focus on underrepresented groups. While Dick Clark Productions and NBC–the long-time producer and broadcaster of the Golden Globes respectively—supported the planned reforms, Time's Up and a group of 100 PR firms criticized the lack of given timelines for filling some of the new management positions, arguing that they would not be completed soon enough to have any material impact on the cycle of the next Golden Globes. Time's Up further argued the package "largely contains no specifics" nor "commitments to real accountability or change".