Diversity takes center stage at Golden Globes seeking redemption
Send a link to a friend
[January 11, 2023]
By Danielle Broadway and Lisa Richwine
BEVERLY HILLS, California (Reuters) - Following two years of criticism
for its lack of diverse membership, the Hollywood Foreign Press
Association's Golden Globes ceremony on Tuesday wasted no time putting
the controversy in the spotlight.
Host and comedian Jerrod Carmichael opened his monologue with a blunt
assessment: that he was there because "I'm Black."
“This show, the Golden Globe Awards, did not air last year because the
Hollywood Foreign Press Association - which I won't say that they were a
racist organization - but they didn't have a single Black member until
George Floyd died," Carmichael said.
He was referring to the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police
officer in 2020, which sparked nationwide Black Lives Matter protests
against police killings and other violence against Black people. The
watershed event inspired many organizations to create or reformulate
anti-racist and inclusivity policies.
In 2021, a Los Angeles Times investigation revealed the association, or
HFPA, had no Black journalists in its ranks. Some members were accused
of making sexist and racist remarks and soliciting favors from
celebrities and movie studios.
The HFPA introduced new ethics policies, and expanded and diversified
its membership. Among roughly 200 current voters, nearly 52% are
racially and ethnically diverse, including 10% who are Black.
Carmichael recalled being called by Golden Globes producer Stephen Hill
and being asked to host the awards. He jokingly addressed the discomfort
of going from drinking mint tea one day to being asked to be the “Black
face of a white organization” the next, and said deciding whether to
emcee was a “moral and racial dilemma.”
However, Carmichael said -- with tongue in cheek -- Hill assured him the
offer was because he's “talented, charming, and one of the greatest
comedians of a generation.”
“I took this job assuming that they (HFPA) hadn't changed at all," the
host said. "I heard they got six new Black members, congrats to them,
whatever. Sure. But that's not why I'm here.”
Carmichael said he decided to host because of the talented people in the
room that he admires, calling them “incredible artists.”
[to top of second column]
|
Jerrod Carmichael hosts the 80th Annual
Golden Globe Awards® show at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills,
CA, U.S., on Tuesday, January 10, 2023 Stewart Cook for the HFPA/©
HFPA/Handout via REUTERS.
“Regardless of whatever the
Hollywood Foreign Press Association's past may be, this is an
evening where we get to celebrate, and I think this industry
deserves evenings like these. I'm happy you're here,” he concluded.
Among roughly 200 current voters, nearly 52% are racially and
ethnically diverse, including 10% who are Black.
While Carmichael hit the issue head-on, the list of winners also
reflected broad diversity, and many speeches aimed to elevate
diverse talent. Television director and producer Ryan Murphy,
accepting a lifetime achievement award, highlighted the LGBTQ+
talent in the room.
On the silver carpet, this year’s Golden Globe winner for best
actress in “Everything Everywhere All at Once” Michelle Yeoh and
“Elvis”director Baz Luhrmann also expressed the importance of
celebrating all the talented people involved in Golden Globes.
“I think it’s important because this is an international Golden
Globe, right? It encompasses everybody and that’s something we
constantly talk about, inclusivity,” Yeoh said. “So, how can you not
include them? What I think happened is that they needed to clean it
all up. They needed to wake up to a brighter and more beautiful
day.”
Yeoh believes that it’s time to move ahead.
Luhrmann echoed similar sentiments, saying, “I think the Golden
Globes has really walked the walk, not just talked the talk. They’ve
made real, significant changes.”
“We need them because this is about us all coming together and
celebrating the movies," he added.
(Reporting by Danielle Broadway, Lisa Richwine and Rollo Ross;
Editing by Mary Milliken and Jonathan Oatis)
[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|