The 78th Golden Globe Awards took place on Sunday (March 1 for India). Due to the pandemic, the ceremony took place virtually. Amy Poehler and Tina Fey hosted the ceremony. Tina was presenting from New York City while Amy was at The Beverly Hilton in California. As they opened the ceremony, Amy and Tina took a sly dig at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which gives out the awards, for no Black voting members in the group.
Appreciating the hosts for standing up against the lack of diversity on HFPA's end, Kerry Washington, on Twitter, wrote, "Thank you Amy Poehler and Tina Fey for bringing the lack of representation in the HFPA to light. Real change must come #GoldenGlobes"
Hosts Amy Poehler and Tina fey kick off the 2021 #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/WiZypofugT
— Golden Globe Awards (@goldenglobes) March 1, 2021
Thank you Amy Poehler and Tina Fey for bringing the lack of representation in the HFPA to light. Real change must come #GoldenGlobes
— kerry washington (@kerrywashington) March 1, 2021
On February 27, Time's Up shared an image on social media that read, "Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Not a single Black member out of 87." The caption read, "A cosmetic fix isn’t enough. #TIMESUPGlobes #TIMESUP." Slamming HFPA for lack of diversity, Hollywood celebrities like Jennifer Aniston, Sterling K. Brown, Ava DuVernay and others sharing the image and the message on social media.
Ava, in a statement, said, "Many artists who’ve made strong work this year are being amplified on tonight’s show. I’m proudly introducing Hamilton to applaud the artistry of Lin-Manuel and the whole cast and crew. To be clear, the pressure applied to the Globes and its partners from now on isn’t about validation or shiny things from this particular group. The truth that’s not often discussed is that awards play a part in the economic reality of Black filmmakers, artists of color and women creators in this business. Unfortunately, these shiny things matter to those who finance, greenlight, produce, distribute and market our projects. Therefore, everyone must have balanced access and consideration so that the playing field can be more equitable for artists of all kinds, colors and cultures."
My two cents. #TimesUpGlobes pic.twitter.com/WrrEu1cvfQ
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) March 1, 2021
After facing backlash, HFPA issued a statement saying, "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."
(Source: Instagram/Twitter)