A LA Times exposé revealed the Hollywood Foreign Press Association had no Black representation among the HFPA’s 87-strong membership of journalists, leading to a huge outcry from the public and those in the industry.
High-profile celebs like Ava DuVernay and Shonda Rhimes added their voices to the allegations of racism from the HFPA. Over the years actors including Viola Davis and Lupita Nyong’o have been noticably absent from the list of Globes noms, despite getting acknowledged at the Oscars.
When Sacha Baron Cohen won Best Actor at the 2021 ceremony, he thanked “the all-white Hollywood Foreign Press” for his award in his acceptance speech.
Tom Cruise also returned his three Golden Globe trophies last year, and several actors including Scarlett Johansson and Mark Ruffalo called for the industry to “step back” from the Golden Globes until reforms were put into place by the HFPA.
At the 2022 nomination ceremony in December, HFPA president Helen Hoehne said the HFPA had reflected and changed over the last eight months, introducing 21 new members – including six Black journalists – making the membership cohort “the largest and most diverse in [the HFPA’s] 79-year-old history.”
However, the association has still not reached its previously-stated goal of 13 per cent Black membership by 2022.