The body which oversees the Golden Globes has promised to address a reported lack of diversity in its membership during Sunday’s ceremony.
A Los Angeles Times investigation found none of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s 87 members were black.
Time’s Up, the organisation founded in 2018 to support victims of sexual harassment in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, has weighed in, starting the hashtag #TIMESUPGlobes and stating “A cosmetic fix isn’t enough”.
We released this statement earlier, and are committed to change. We will also address this in our show on Sunday. https://t.co/ZSxsBUmuAq
— Golden Globe Awards (@goldenglobes) February 27, 2021
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Kerry Washington, Sterling K Brown and Ava DuVernay all shared the statement.
The HFPA, the group of international journalists whose votes decide who wins Golden Globes, has responded and said “we understand that we need to bring in Black members”.
The body said in a statement: “We are fully committed to ensuring our membership is reflective of the communities around the world who love film, tv and the artists inspiring and educating them.
“We understand that we need to bring in Black members, as well as members from other underrepresented backgrounds, and we will immediately work to implement an action plan to achieve these goals as soon as possible.”
The HFPA, which said it is “committed to change,” also promised to address the issue during Sunday’s ceremony.
The Golden Globes wields significant influence in Hollywood as the ceremony usually takes place around the time voting begins for the Oscars.
It is widely believed success at the Golden Globes can help propel stars to joy at the more prestigious Academy Awards.
After Time’s Up tweeted about the HFPA’s diversity scandal, several celebrities weighed in. Lovecraft Country star Jurnee Smollett, comedian Amy Schumer, Will & Grace actor Sean Hayes and Shaun Of The Dead’s Simon Pegg all backed the charity.
This Is Us star Brown, a Golden Globe winner, said: “87 people wield a tremendous amount of power. For any governing body of a current Hollywood award show to have such a lack of voting representation illustrates a level of irresponsibility that should not be ignored.”
