The 2022 Golden Globes nominations have landed but Hollywood has promised to boycott it

By Sarah Finnan
14th Dec 2021

The 2022 Golden Globes nominations have landed but Hollywood has promised to boycott it

'Belfast' and 'The Power of the Dog' dominate this year's Golden Globe nominations but as Hollywood looks set to boycott it, we question if the awards really matter anymore.

The 2022 Golden Globe nominations have just been announced… but does anyone really care anymore? Still embroiled in drama after last year’s awards caused considerable controversy, Hollywood looks set to boycott this year’s ceremony, and for good reason.

So, what happened? Some of you may recall the absolute sh*t show that was 2021, but for those of you who don’t, basically, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association came under fire over allegations of racism, sexism, bullying, and corruption, amongst other things. Comprising a group of 87 international journalists who vote on the awards, the collective was the subject of two damning exposés in the Los Angeles Times in early 2021– both of which accused the group of questionable credentials, self-dealing and ethical lapses.

And that’s without even mentioning their distinct lack of diversity either (there wasn’t a single black member in the HFPA, FYI). Tensions came to a head when it emerged that members of the association were reportedly flown out to Paris in support of the Netflix show Emily in Paris, which subsequently received inexplicable two nominations. The outrage intensified when Michaela Coel’s I May Destroy You didn’t get any nominations – despite being widely praised as one of the best TV shows of the decade.

Even the Emily in Paris writers were unimpressed by this. “That I May Destroy You did not get one Golden Globe nod is not only wrong, it’s what is wrong with everything,” Deborah Copaken, a writer on Emily in Paris commented at the time. “How anyone can watch I May Destroy You and not call it a brilliant work of art, or Michaela Coel a genius, is beyond my capacity to understand how these decisions are made,” she continued, clearly agitated at the decision.

The HFPA responded with a rather blasé statement acknowledging that they needed to diversify their members. “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.” Great that they have seen the error of their ways, but it shouldn’t have taken international uproar for it to happen. Six months after vowing “transformational” change and the association has expanded its 87-member ranks to include 21 new members – all from underrepresented groups – making it their most diverse group in the HFPA’s almost 80-year history.

The controversy didn’t end there though and several streaming platforms and studios, including Netflix, Warner Bros, and Amazon, announced they would work with HFPA until more definitive action is taken. Tom Cruise handed back his past awards, NBC has dropped its coverage of this year’s ceremony, meaning it won’t be televised, and it’s unclear whether any celebrities will attend the event at all. “We continue to believe that the HFPA is committed to meaningful reform,” NBC said in a statement. “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 organisation executes on its plan, we are hopeful we will be in a position to air the show in January 2023.”

NBC confirmed their decision back in May. Three months later and the HFPA responded by announcing new bylaws which aimed to “codify measures that restructure the organisation along the lines of inclusion, accountability and ethics, and greater responsiveness to the film industry and the diversity of world journalism.” While there are lots of great buzz words there, does it really mean anything is going to change?

While many people, including those in Hollywood, expected the 2022 wards would be cancelled to give HFPA time to do the work, it seems it is dead set on proceeding with the event.

“It’s certainly not going to be the celebrity-driven event that we’ve had in the past,” HFPA president Helen Hoehne said at the Globes nominations announcement in Los Angeles this week. “We have a long history of handing out the award and we just wanted to continue to do it like we always have,” she added. “Do it like we always have” probably wasn’t the best choice of phrasing given that people are demanding change and reform.

However, the response to this year’s nominees has been lacklustre. “In the hour after the nominations were unveiled, the reaction from Hollywood was collective silence,” wrote The Los Angeles Times. There “is a broad ‘consensus’ across the entertainment industry to withhold submissions for the planned upcoming Globes,” they claimed back in October. Many actors (or “the talent” as they’re referred to in the biz) feel strongly that they don’t want to be submitted for consideration, and publicists are advising their clients to decline should a nomination be bestowed anyway. “It’s an asterisk year. This shouldn’t happen. The industry told the HFPA they had 15 months to get its house in order, and now they’re throwing this down our throats and no one even knows what [the ceremony] looks like,” one individual told the publication.

Unlike other awards organisations, HFPA traditionally requires studios to request a specific placement on the Golden Globes ballot in categories such as motion picture (which is split into comedy and drama categories) and lead or supporting performance. Once the request has been made, the group then votes on whether to approve the placement or not. Which is where the “culture of corruption” and accusations that members can be swayed by certain perks come into play.

While HFPA has initiated substantive changes, not enough time has passed to ascertain whether they’re merely surface level or not. As Variety notes, we’re still within the same calendar year as the initial allegations. Either way, this year’s ceremony is likely to be highly charged and it’s anyone’s guess as to how it will play out.