The annual Golden Globes ceremony has been unable to find a broadcasting partner or any celebrities willing to present or collect its awards after a Hollywood boycott over its diversity and ethics scandal, resulting in a pared-down event with the emphasis on philanthropy.
According to Variety, the Globes’ talent bookers have failed to persuade any big Hollywood figures to attend the 2022 edition of the awards ceremony, a hitherto glittering annual event that traditionally kicked off the lucrative awards season. In March 2021 more than 100 public relations firms announced they would withdraw cooperation with the Globes, a series of high-profile Hollywood figures, including Tom Cruise and Scarlett Johansson, made stinging public criticisms, and TV network NBC cancelled its broadcast of the 2022 edition.
In a statement on its website, the Golden Globes parent organisation Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) said that the ceremony would go ahead on Sunday at the Beverly Hilton hotel, and planned to “shine a light on the long-established philanthropy work of the HFPA, showcasing a range of grantees during the program”.
The HFPA also said event will also “discuss” the Reimagine Coalition, an initiative announced in October 2021 and set up in conjunction with civil rights group the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to “increase diversity, equity, and inclusion across the global entertainment industry”.
No press will be allowed inside the ceremony, and no red carpet will take place. Audience members will be required to wear masks, and follow strict Covid guidelines including proof of vaccination and negative tests. It has yet to be announced whether the ceremony will be livestreamed.
The HFPA has been engulfed in crisis since the LA Times ran an exposé on the eve of the 2021 Golden Globes, accusing the organisation of a lack of diversity in its voting membership as well as “ethical lapses” in the way it conducted its business.
The Golden Globe nominations were announced in December by guest presenter Snoop Dogg; Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast and Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog lead field with seven each.