The chorus of criticism against the organisation behind the Golden Globes continues amid reports that Tom Cruise has returned all three of his awards back to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
Deadline reports the 58-year-old actor, who won the trophies for his roles in Born on the Fourth of July, Jerry Maguire and Magnolia, very recently sent all three back to HFPA headquarters. He's one of many Hollywood figures to take a stand against the HFPA, the group behind the Globes, after a February Los Angeles Times expose highlighted alleged failings in the organisation.
The expose revealed that there are no black journalists within the group's 80-strong membership. The organisation's lack of diversity has been frequently criticised in the press. In March, it was also revealed that a former president was found to have referred to Black Lives Matter as a "hate movement".
In addition to Cruise, NBC, which has broadcast the Golden Globes since 1996, has pulled out of airing the awards in 2022, citing the need for "meaningful reform" by the embattled Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
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Advertise with NZME."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," the network said in a statement today.
"As such, NBC will not air the 2022 Golden Globes. Assuming the organisation executes on its plan, we are hopeful we will be in a position to air the show in January 2023."
The ratings for the 2021 awards, hosted on February 28 by Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, dropped to just 6.9 million viewers.
In response, the HFPA released a detailed timeline of proposed changes that were voted for last week by 75 of the HFPA's 86 board members - "Regardless of the next air date of the Golden Globes, implementing transformational changes as quickly – and as thoughtfully – as possible remains the top priority for our organisation," it read. "We invite our partners in the industry to the table to work with us on the systemic reform that is long overdue, both in our organisation as well as within the industry at large." However, the Time's Up organisation criticised the reforms as "window-dressing platitudes".
Cruise's stance comes hot on the heels of Netflix, Amazon, Scarlett Johansson and Mark Ruffalo, who have all spoken out against the HFPA, calling for reform.
Johansson urged the film industry on Saturday to "step back" from the HFPA, saying she has faced "sexist questions and remarks" at press conferences.
"As an actor promoting a film, one is expected to participate in awards season by attending press conferences as well as awards shows. In the past, this has often meant facing sexist questions and remarks by certain HFPA members that bordered on sexual harassment. It is the exact reason why I, for many years, refused to participate in their conferences," she said in a statement.
