By: Ava Mychel Rodriguez ’24
The Golden Globes are returning in 2023.
The awards show, which will air on NBC and be streamed on Peacock, will be back at the Beverly Hilton Hotel for its 80th anniversary on Jan 10. The show was moved from its usual Sunday spot to a Tuesday this year.
NBC signed a one-year contract with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, or the HFPA, which is the organization who puts on the awards show.
According to a press release, a one-year agreement “allows the HFPA and DCP to explore new opportunities for domestic and global distribution across a variety of platforms in the future.”
Due to controversies within the award show, such as a lack of diversity in the HFPA’s voting pool, NBC pulled out of broadcasting the 2022 Golden Globes. The 2022 ceremony had no nominees in attendance and focused on the awards show’s philanthropic efforts instead.
Recently, the HFPA added 103 new voters to its ranks, including international voters from 62 different countries for the first time.
Originally, the organization had reached a low of 80 members, with a noticeable lack of Black voters. Now, the current HFPA members, combined with Golden Globes voters, announced that the new voting pool “is 52% female, 51.5% racially and ethnically diverse, with 19.5% Latinx, 12% Asian, 10% Black and 10% Middle Eastern people.”
The organization aims to add these members in time to vote for the 2023 awards.
This change comes after months of negotiations and conversations about whether this reform is enough.
The Golden Globes hit a record low in ratings at its last show in 2021. Hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Schumer, the show was delayed due to COVID and aired Feb 28.
Compared with the 18.9 million viewers in the pre-pandemic show, the 2021 Golden Globes only attracted 6.9 million viewers.
Since spring 2021, the show has been under major reform, after allegations made by the Los Angeles Times brought up concerning financial practices along with the organization’s lack of diversity.
Additionally, the report showed the HFPA’s lack of nominating actors and directors of color.
After the allegations made, actor Tom Cruise even returned his three Golden Globes he won during the 2021 ceremony.
According to Variety, “NBC showed some support last fall [2021] for the HFPA’s reform process, it remained concerned that the HFPA had not found a way to win back the support of talent reps, whose clients’ attendance is key for the Golden Globes telecast.”
Variety also reported that some companies, such as Netflix, Amazon, and Disney, along with some PR firms, have shown support for the awards show’s return.
In Aug 2022, HFPA president Helen Hoehne sent publicists a letter recapping reforms the organization made.
Many of these reforms were already announced to the public. The letter outlined notable changes such as electing a new board of directors with three non-member directors, appointing a chief diversity officer, creating a Credentials Committee to reaccredit current members of the Association in a formal review process, selecting a new class of 21 members (29% of whom identify as Black), mandatory DEI and sexual harassment prevention training sessions for members, the implementation of a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion program, and the standardization of etiquette guidelines for the organization’s press conferences such as requiring questions to relate to the talent’s current project, according to Variety.
All members additionally underwent a reaccreditation process in 2022, and some members were moved to emeritus status, meaning they can vote but not answer any questions in press conferences.
“We recognize the HFPA’s commitment to ongoing change and look forward to welcoming back the Golden Globes to NBC for its landmark 80th anniversary in January 2023,” Frances Berwick, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming’s Chairman of Entertainment Networks, said in a statement.
At the time of this article, the host for the 2023 Golden Globes has yet to be announced. Nominations were released Dec 12, 2022.
“It’s great to be back at the Beverly Hilton for the must-see celebration recognizing the best in film and television,” Helen Hoehne said in a statement. “The HFPA remains committed to important changes and supporting programs which prioritize diversity, inclusion and transparency.”
