*The controversy surrounding the Hollywood Foreign Press Association appears to have rocked Tom Cruise to his core, as the Hollywood legend has reportedly returned all three of his Golden Globe trophies after NBC canceled the awards broadcast for 2022.
Cruise previously bagged awards for best actor in “Born on the Fourth of July” (1990) and “Jerry Maguire” (1997) and for best-supporting actor in “Magnolia” (2000). Deadline first reported that the actor shipped his trophies back to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association following NBC’s announcement that the network won’t air the 2022 Golden Globes.
“We continue to believe that the HFPA is committed to meaningful reform,” NBC said in a statement, as reported by Variety. “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.”
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) is a group of white journalists who conduct the Golden Globe Awards. Over the years, the group has been criticized for not watching Black films, not acknowledging Black actors and content creators and taking bribes from studios.
READ MORE: NBC Drops 2022 Golden Globes Ceremony Amid Fallout Over Membership and Voting Process
Per Variety, NBC execs have been waiting on the HFPA to reveal a full plan on how to reform the organization, following backlash over a report by the Los Angeles Times that the group does not have a single Black member. The HFPA now claims it will make significant changes, with plans to include people from “underrepresented groups” to the exclusive group of journalists. However, its primary focus is on recruiting Black members.
The outlet writes, “NBC execs were concerned that the HFPA hadn’t set a timeline for change, and the network had seen no movement on how it might rethink its membership goals.”
Netflix has joined the slew of Hollywood organizations that claim to be outraged over the lack of diversity and the HFPA’s voting process.
Netflix’s co-CEO and chief content officer Ted Sarandos fired off a letter to the HFPA, noting that the streaming giant is “stopping any activities” with the organization behind the Golden Globes, “until more meaningful changes are made” to the group’s demographics and ethics policies, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Amazon Studios is also distancing itself from the organization, and several actors and content creators have spoken out against the HFPA, including Scarlett Johansson, who issued a statement to Deadline on Saturday.
“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. “The HFPA is an organization that was legitimized by the likes of Harvey Weinstein to amass momentum for Academy recognition, and the industry followed suit. Unless there is necessary fundamental reform within the organization, I believe it is time that we take a step back from the HFPA and focus on the importance and strength of unity within our unions and the industry as a whole.”
GLAAD has also called out the HFPA for its lack of LGBTQ inclusion.
