‘Truly absurd’: Celebrities take stand against Golden Globes

If you’re wondering where some familiar faces are on the Golden Globes red carpet, there’s a controversial reason they’re not there.

A string of celebrities have boycotted the Golden Globes, refusing to support the event because of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s lack of diversity.

Stars including Olivia Wilde, Ellen Pompeo, Alyssa Milano, America Ferrera, Lupita Nyong’o, Shonda Rhimes, Kerry Washington and Busy Phillips have all been sharing social media posts taking a stand against the HFPA.

Hosts Amy Poehler and Tina Fey touched on the controversy during their opening monologue at the Golden Globes, calling on the HFPA to make a change to the diversity in its ranks.

“Some of them might be ghosts,” Fey said, highlighting the association is made up of nearly 90, non-black members.

Three members of the HFPA also took to the stage to address the elephant in the room early in the ceremony.

They were German, Indian and Turkish representatives who talked about the need to do better before the program went to an ad break.

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Olivia Wilde is among many celebrities who are calling out the Golden Globes. Picture: Instagram

Schitt’s Creek start Daniel Levy also addressed the controversy in his speech when the show won best TV series in a musical or comedy.

“I hope that this time next year, this ceremony reflects the true breadth and diversity of the film and television being made today, because there is so much more to be celebrated,” he said.

Online celebrities have been taking a stand in social media posts, including Aussie star Chris Hemsworth and Friends actress Jennifer Aniston.

“Truly absurd. I support and celebrate all the GG nominees, and their hard work for their craft, but when it comes to this institution, it’s time for the HFPA to commit to some deep, structural evolution,” Wilde posted on Instagram, sharing the #timesupglobes image of a cracked award.

The image being shared reads, “Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Not a single black member out of 87. #TimesUpGlobes”.

A recent Los Angeles Times investigation found that there are no black journalists among HFPA members, leading to criticism that Black-led projects are not getting more recognition.

The HFPA confirmed to the outlet that there are indeed no black members, but claimed it’s an issue they’re “committed to addressing”. However, the group did not elaborate on any plan of action.

When nominations were released in early February, there were notable snubs including widely acclaimed films such as Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods and Shaka King’s Judas And The Black Messiah for the top big-screen honours – though Judas star Daniel Kaluuya scored a nod for a “supporting role”.

Same goes for the entire cast of HBO’s Lovecraft Country on the small screen: It was nominated for best TV drama, but the entire cast was overlooked for acting nods.

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Actresses Viola Davis, Kerry Washington, executive producer Shonda Rhimes and actress Ellen Pompeo have all posted on social media about the HFPA. Picture: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

Grey’s Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo posted an open letter to the HFPA calling on white stars to “pull up, show up and get this issue resolved”.

“This is Hollywood, we are master problem solvers,” she said.

“There is a solution here and I have faith that we can find it. What we cannot do… is leave this problem up to the Black community and all our communities of colour to fix. This is not their problem, it’s ours.

“Now is not a time to be silent. We have a real action item here let’s get it done.”

pic.twitter.com/1rBMd67mOe

— Ellen Pompeo (@EllenPompeo) February 28, 2021

In response to the backlash, the HFPA released a statement that said, “We understand that we need to bring in Black members, as well as members from other under-represented backgrounds, and we will immediately work to implement an action plan to achieve these goals as soon as possible.”

Actor, writer and director Amber Tamblyn called the lack of black members of the HFPA “unacceptable”.

“We call on one of our country’s biggest and brightest award show ceremonies to ensure the future of the Golden Globes’ leadership represents the content, culture and creative work of women of ALL kinds, not just white women, and of Black voices in general, both as nominees and as members instrumental in the nominating process,” she wrote.

“A cosmetic fix just isn’t enough. The world is watching.”