By Mark Gray
9:45am PST, Jan 10, 2023
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It's been two years since the Golden Globe Awards were televised in all their glory. Now they're back and airing on NBC on Jan. 10, 2023. The pause came in the wake of controversy: On May 10, 2021, NBC announced that it wouldn't air the 2022 Golden Globe Awards due to the lack of diversity within the Hollywood Foreign Press Association — the organization that votes on and produces the awards — following an exposé in The Los Angeles Times that revealed the group had no Black members. Prior to NBC's decision, a chorus of celebrities spoke out against HFPA's struggle to reform.
Tom Cruise, for instance, shocked many as he returned his three Golden Globe trophies in 2021 in protest against the HFPA and its proposed reforms. The actor has won Globes for his work in "Jerry Maguire," "Born on the Fourth of July" and "Magnolia."
Since then, things have reportedly changed within the HFPA — the organization has added several journalists of colors to its membership and promised an overhaul by creating "five pillars of change: accountability, membership, inclusion, good governance/ethics, and transparency" — ushering in the Globes' return in 2023.
Keep reading to see some of the celebrities who demanded meaningful change and spoke out against the Globes' diversity and other issues…
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"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. The HFPA is an organization that was legitimized by the likes of [former mogul] 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." —Scarlett Johansson, via the Los Angeles Times, in 2021
MORE: Stars who brought family members as dates to the Golden Globes
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"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. Now is the time to step up and right the wrongs of the past. Honestly, as a recent winner of a Golden Globe, I cannot feel proud or happy about being a recipient of this award," Mark Ruffalo said in a statement in 2021. After the NBC announcement, he tweeted, "Thank you, @NBC, for taking the time to do this right. #ChangeIsGolden."
MORE: The most memorable moments from Golden Globes past
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"Glad to see @netflix dedication to creating a more equitable and inclusive entertainment industry," Reese Witherspoon tweeted after Netflix, Amazon and WarnerMedia joined an HFPA boycott in 2021
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In November 2022, Brendan Fraser — who in 2018 alleged that Philip Berk, a former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, once groped him at a 2003 luncheon at the Beverly Hills Hotel — told GQ he would not attend the 2023 Golden Globes ceremony even if he was nominated for his critically acclaimed performance in "The Whale" (he was). "I have more history with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association than I have respect for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association," the actor told GQ, confirming, "No, I will not participate."
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"This is so important. Thank you @netflix for taking a stand," Kerry Washington tweeted after Netflix's boycott of the Golden Globes in 2021.
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"Everything matters. Even this. The ripple effects echo through our industry, especially for Black artists and artists of color. Kudos to all the activists, artists, publicists and executives who took a stand to make this so," filmmaker Ava DuVernay tweeted in 2021. She also praised Tom Cruise for returning his three Golden Globe Awards, tweeting, "That time that Tom Cruise sent his @goldenglobes for 'Jerry Maguire,' 'Magnolia' and 'Born on the Fourth of July' in an actual box to the reception desk of HFPA to stand against their sexist, homophobic, racist practices of exclusion, harassment and bias."
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"Every step forward matters. So many people in front of/behind the camera, at studios/streamers & PR firms took a stand to shift a piece of the biz model that affects the economic futures of artists who are often tokenized/not included. These steps can work in any industry." –Shonda Rhimes in 2021
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"A cosmetic fix isn't enough. #TIMESUPGlobes #TIMESUP," Alyssa Milano tweeted in 2021 after posting an image claiming that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association didn't have a single black member of its 87-person delegation. Patton Oswalt, Amy Schumer and JJ Abrams posted the same image and caption.
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"So funny how Hollywood is all torn over the HFP/Golden Globes acting like they haven't been paying for those trophies this whole time." –Ethan Embry tweeted in 2021
