All the celebs and companies who have cut ties with HFPA over racism controversy

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) has come under a lot of fire over the years for its racist nominations, unethical voting history and systemic racism. Those practices have led to a particularly loud conversation in 2021, and now the industry is finally responding by cutting ties with the organization.

Why are people cutting ties with HFPA?

To regular TV viewers, the Golden Globes seem like a pretty big event—one of the biggest awards shows right up there with the Oscars and the Emmys. But what many people haven’t been aware of (at least maybe not until recently) is that the Globes’ voting body, the HFPA, is only comprised of 86 members.

Among them are zero Black members, a problematic fact that came to light just before this year’s February 28 show. While organizers promised forthcoming change during the controversial broadcast, what’s been going on behind-the-scenes (including lavish press trips and morally corrupt voting tendencies) is a lot more telling.

In recent weeks both the organization’s Diversity and Inclusion advisor, Dr. Shaun Harper, and pro fixer Judy Smith (who is the basis for the Olivia Pope character in Scandal) have resigned in frustration over the rumour that no real plan for change is in place.

That rumour was verified on May 6 when HFPA members voted in favour of a new plan for inclusion and reform, one that includes hiring a CEO and a Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer. The organization also revealed it is seeking a hotline to report conduct violations, and it wants to bolster membership by 50 per cent over the next two years, “With a specific focus on recruiting Black members.”

However, real change takes time and a firm commitment, and Hollywood seems pretty intent on holding the HFPA to (way) higher standards going forward. There are many who feel these planned changes are “window-dressing platitudes” that are “sorely lacking and hardly transformational.”

What celebs are speaking out/returning their statues?

If you need further proof Hollywood is no longer standing for corrupt and racist awards, this week was full of it. On May 10, Tom Cruise returned his three Golden Globe trophies to the HFPA. They include his Best Actor statues for Jerry Maguire and Born on the Fourth of July, as well as a Best Supporting Actor trophy for Magnolia.

Two days before Cruise returned the hardware Scarlett Johansson revealed to Entertainment Weekly in a statement that she faced “sexist questions and remarks” from HFPA members in the past that “bordered on sexual harassment.” She then urged her colleagues to “take a step back” from the organization and to “focus on the importance and strength of unity.”

Johansson was joined by her Avengers co-star Mark Ruffalo. “It’s discouraging to see the HFPA, which has gained prominence and profited handsomely from their involvement with filmmakers and actors, resist the change that is being asked of them from many of the groups that have been most disenfranchised by their culture of secrecy and exclusion,” he tweeted.

It's been less than a week since the HFPA’s new “reforms” have come under fire, so fans can probably expect more of their favourite stars to chime in with their own feelings in the coming days. (A room somewhere full of returned trophies is a real possibility.)

What companies/broadcasters are taking action?  

It’s not just actors who are taking action against the HFPA. The organization was trending online on May 10 after NBC—which pays $60 million US each year to air the show—revealed it has cancelled the 2022 broadcast so that the non-profit can take real time to truly figure out how to enact actual change and reform.

"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. As such, NBC will not air the 2022 Golden Globes. Assuming the organization executes on its plan, we are hopeful we will be in a position to air the show in January 2023," NBC said in a statement.

However, that move comes after many other organizations and companies also distanced themselves from the Globes, revealing they would no longer be working with the organization until it puts real policies into place and change is implemented.

Among them are streaming giants like Netflix and Prime Video, as well as WarnerMedia (and by extension HBO, which is a frequent Globes winner).

“While we commend the HFPA membership’s approval of the plan to move towards radical reform, we don’t believe the plan goes far enough in addressing the breadth of our concerns, nor does your timeline capture the immediate need by which these issues should be addressed,” WarnerMedia said in a statement.

“Like many in our industry, we’ve been waiting for today’s announcement in the hope that you would acknowledge the breadth of issues facing the HFPA and provide a clear roadmap for change,” Netflix wrote in its own statement to the organization.

“Today’s vote is an important first step. However, we don’t believe these proposed new policies — particularly around the size and speed of membership growth — will tackle the HFPA’s systemic diversity and inclusion challenges, or the lack of clear standards for how your members should operate,” it continued.

“So we’re stopping any activities with your organization until more meaningful changes are made.”

In addition to the broadcasters and streamers, Time’s Up launched its own campaign against the organization before the February broadcast. And now a group of more than 100 public relations companies have revealed they are banding together to cut off talent to the HFPA as well until such time as there is transformational change.

“In the last decade our industry has faced a seismic reckoning and begun to address its failure to reflect and honour the diversity of our community, yet we have witnessed no acceptance of responsibility, accountability or action from the HFPA, even as systemic inequity and egregious behaviour are allowed to continue,” the group wrote.

“We collectively and unequivocally agree that transformative change in your organization and its historical practices is essential and entirely achievable. We want to be part of the solution. To reflect how urgent and necessary we feel this work is, we cannot advocate for our clients to participate in HFPA events or interviews as we await your explicit plans and timeline for transformational change.”

How has the HFPA responded?

Right now the organization seems to be in damage control. Following the Netflix decision current president Ali Sar wrote a letter to the streamer asking for a sit down to discuss the “Very specific actions that are already in the works. An open dialogue would help to ensure that we are addressing these concerns as quickly as possible.”

Meanwhile, following NBC’s decision to pull next year’s broadcast, the HFPA shared its plan and timeline with an updated note to its website for everyone to see. The current plan’s timeline extends until the week of August 2, at which time existing board members and officers will resign to make way for the election of a new board as well as the official hiring of an executive team.

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