Tina Fey and Amy Poehler were thousands of miles apart Sunday night as they hosted the first-ever bicoastal Golden Globes ceremony, but they were still able to address the elephant in the room.
In a split-screen monologue — broadcast from the Rainbow Room in New York and the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles — the comedians took aim at the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn., the group that hands out the Golden Globe Awards, for its track record on diversity. A Times investigation found that none of the 87 members in the organization are Black. A number of acclaimed projects centered on Black stories, such as the HBO series “I May Destroy You,” failed to receive nominations, while lighter fare such as “Emily in Paris” was recognized in multiple categories.
“Everybody is understandably upset at the HFPA and their choices,” said Poehler who, like Fey, was addressing a downsized audience of masked first responders, rather than the usual throng of boozed-up celebrities. “Look, a lot of flashy garbage got nominated. But that happens. That’s like their thing. But a number of Black actors and Black-led projects were overlooked.”
“We all know that awards shows are stupid,” Fey added. “The point is even with stupid things, inclusivity is important, and there are no Black members of the Hollywood Foreign Press. I realized, HFPA, maybe you guys didn’t get the memo because your workplace is the back booth of a McDonald’s. You got to change that. So here’s to changing that.” (Three members of the HFPA later acknowledged the body’s diversity failures on stage and pledged change.)
