Remember the Golden Globes? You know, the awards show that had ratings that were a third of last year’s, that’s voting body has zero Black members (and hasn’t for over 20 years), and that last week received a letter from over 100 PR firms threatening to withhold access to their celeb clients if changes didn’t happen? Yes, that awards show. Now NBCUniversal, the network locked into a contract with the Golden Globes until 2026, addressed its part in the scandal. Yesterday, the Los Angeles Times reported that NBCUniversal chief diversity officer Craig Robinson said, “Our perceived silence on this should not be equated with apathy or a lack of concern. We are taking these issues very seriously, and we also understand our role and the importance of our role in encouraging HFPA to make what we deem to be necessary changes — and we are using that influence.â€
During multiple meetings, the network says it has asked the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to recruit Black and other diverse members, as well as address ethical violations like the freebies given to Golden Globe voters and payments to members for watching films and participating in committees. Though privately, the Times reports that some NBCUniversal executives have shrugged off calls for the network to better police the organization, saying they’re only the distributors. The Times also said that NBCUniversal would not tell them whether or not they threatened to end their Golden Globes licensing agreement early. On Monday evening, the HFPA vowed to increase the percentage of Black members from zero to at least 13 percent in the next year.