Tom Cruise has returned all three of his Golden Globe trophies after NBC canceled the HFPA’s award broadcast for 2022 amid an outcry over lack of diversity.
The Mission Impossible star, 58, won Best Actor for Jerry Maguire in 1997, Best Actor for Born on the Fourth of July in 1990, and Best Supporting Actor for his role in Magnolia in 2000.
According to reports from Deadline, the action star has given back the three awards that he was given by the organisation because of its failure to reform its lack of diversity.
Tom is the latest in a growing list of actors and companies, including Netflix, Amazon, and NBC, that are protesting the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
The backlash against the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), which is comprised of a small group of international journalists that determine the nominees and winners of the Golden Globe Awards, began after a February report by the Los Angeles Times revealed the organization counted no Black journalists among its membership.
Scarlett Johansson, who has been nominated for four Golden Globes, also took a stance against the HFPA in urging her fellow industry members to take action.
Johansson, 36, said in a statement obtained by both Deadline and Variety that some of her own experiences with the HFPA led her to “[refuse] to participate in their conferences.”
“As an actor promoting a film, one is expected to participate in awards season by attending press conferences as well as awards shows. In the past, this has often meant facing sexist questions and remarks by certain HFPA members that bordered on sexual harassment. It is the exact reason why I, for many years, refused to participate in their conferences,” she said.
The two-time Oscar nominee went on to allege that the HFPA “was legitimized by the likes of Harvey Weinstein to amass momentum for Academy recognition and the industry followed suit.”
Johansson concluded, “Unless there is necessary fundamental reform within the organization, I believe it is time that we take a step back from the HFPA and focus on the importance and strength of unity within our unions and the industry as a whole.”
NBC said on Monday that it will not air the Golden Globes in 2022.
In a statement, the network said it believes the press association is committed to reform, and added: ‘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 organization executes on its plan, we are hopeful we will be in a position to air the show in January 2023.’
The HFPA has vowed to implement ‘transformational changes’ after NBC cancelled plans to broadcast next year’s Golden Globes.
In a statement, they said: ‘Regardless of the next air date of the Golden Globes, implementing transformational changes as quickly — and as thoughtfully — as possible remains the top priority for our organisation.
‘We invite our partners in the industry to the table to work with us on the systemic reform that is long overdue, both in our organisation as well as within the industry at large.’
