Why won't there be any Celebrity presenters for the 2022 Golden Globes Awards
by Jaskiran Kaur | Fri, 07 Jan 2022 06:23:01 GMT
Image Source: Wikipedia, Variety

Not everything that shines is gold, and sadly even the Golden Globes are not proving to the hype they once commanded. The 79th hosting of the awards event is scheduled to be held on January 9th, Saturday. However, it will not be the star-studded event it once was. 

First and foremost, the Covid 19 situation and reemerging pandemic mean that the celebs can not come together for an in-person event. The Hollywood Foreign Press president Helen Hoehne explained, “This has been a year of change and reflection for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.” 

Before the celebs were nominated for the awards in December, the president explained, “For eight months, we’ve worked tirelessly as an organization to be better. We changed our rules and bylaws, added a new code of conduct, and restructured our governance. We also have 21 new members, the largest and most diverse in our 79-year-old history. Not only have they brought in a fresh perspective, but ideas that will help us continue to evolve.”

Golden Globes had just received a lot of criticism for its long-running history of not employing diverse perspectives in the nominations board. Several celebs have come against the nominations and while others totally banned themselves from the event. Last year in February, Los Angeles Times ran a report bringing the diversity issue of HFPA into the limelight, stating that not even a single black face could be found in the decisive committee. 

The backlash of artists around the globe forced the hand of the association and even made the committee hire a chief diversity officer. Yet, not many are satisfied with the previous actions of the HFPA. “Because we understand the urgency and issue of transparency, we will be continuously updating the members and the public as we move forward in making our organization more inclusive and diverse,” declared HFPA last year in May. “We understand that the hard work starts now, and we remain dedicated to becoming a better organization and an example of diversity, transparency, and accountability in the industry.”

Regardless of the many initiatives of the association, the Golden Globes nomination program could only command about 10,000 people as an audience. The nominations event featured a characteristically empty ballroom devoid of viewers. However, Hoehne, one of the hosts of the event along with Snoop Dogg, clarified, “Due to COVID restrictions, we always said we would stream, and actually a lot of people, I think, tuned in via streaming, which I think is normal.” 

In the December 13th interview with Variety, she said, “This is a special year as well. Unfortunately, we’re still working through COVID and the new variants, so we have to all be careful. So, I’m actually very surprised that as many people have showed up today in person."

Needless to say, some damage has already been done. NBC had withdrawn from the association last year in May and stated, "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."

Hoehne and Snoop Dogg hosted the Golden Globe Awards nomination event; Credits: Hollywood Reporter

A showbiz manager from London, Jonathan Shalit, said about the Golden Globes, “The Golden Globes are no longer golden. They used to be a precursor to the Oscars, where the whole world watched with expectation. Now, there is an awards ceremony which is a bit like the Carabao Cup which is meaningless." He added, “It has become a hot potato that no one wants to hold. It is almost like, ‘What is the point of the Golden Globes now?’.”

Scarlett Johansson also called out HFPA for the "sexist questions and remarks" during the event along with statements that "bordered on sexual harassment." The actress simply refused to be a part of the event thenceforth. "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," the actress told Entertainment Weekly. 

"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," she added.

The Golden Globes are also infamous for  Robert Downey Jr's joke that he will “know if an actress can do her best work until I’ve slept with her” in 2011. Actor Jeremy Renner had also joked about J Lo's impressive ‘globes’ in 2015, onstage. 

Scarlett Johansson says she will not attend the Golden Globes; Credits: Vanity Fair

So, while the producers will definitely chalk down the decreasing audience of the awards to the pandemic, it is obvious that the association's racism and sexism make up for the top reasons for its decline in popularity. The event will be held virtually this year, with no red carpet, and will make up for a 90-minute show. 

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