The latest Golden Globes controversy, explained
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.Generate Key TakeawaysHeadlines are swirling again about the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) and the Golden Globes, four years after an investigation by the Los Angeles Times revealed a lack of diversity among its members, along with financial and ethical questions. The resulting controversy led to a boycott of the 2022 ceremony, the cancellation of NBC's longtime contract with the awards body, and an eventual sale of the entire organization.
Now the original members of the HFPA — who had initially approved the deal —are trying to unwind it.
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AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R16ekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R26ekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframeA brief explainer of how we got here:
The 90-plus member organization —which had been the voting body that determined the winners of the Golden Globes —was supposed to be dissolved in the wake of the 2023 acquisition by Dick Clark Productions and Eldridge, Todd Boehly's holding company. (Dick Clark Productions is owned by Penske Media Corporation, which also owns Gold Derby.)
At the time, members — who had been collecting annual salaries — were offered either a one-time $250,000 buyout or a $75,000 salary if they joined the new organization, which would be known as the Golden Globes. Membership of that body would be expanded to 300, with unpaid voting invitations extended to other journalists around the world. The new joint venture ultimately repaired relationships with the industry, and last year negotiated a new five-year broadcast deal with CBS.
In February, however, the Golden Globes informed the voters who were still drawing salaries —reportedly around 50 —that the policy of paying them would be ending, and that they would be getting severance checks of $102,500.
AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R1bekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R2bekkr8lb2m7nfddbH1» iframeUnhappy with this decision among others, the so-called "legacy voters" have been pushing to challenge the 2023 deal, which still awaits approval by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, given the organization's transition from a non-profit to for-profit status.
On Monday, the members voted to reconstitute themselves as the HFPA, as was first reported by The Ankler, and on Thursday, ousted Helen Hoehne as their president, as was first reported by The Wrap. (She remains president of the new organization, the Golden Globes.) Two longtime members, Joanna Massey and Jeff Harris, resigned from the HFPA board in the wake of these decisions.
The next step appears to be the final sign-off from the attorney general's office, approving the deal; multiple outlets have reported that the blocker is the onslaught of complaints from the legacy members challenging the terms of the deal.
The Golden Globes is set to air on CBS on Jan. 21, with Nikki Glaser returning as host.
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