Tom Cruise returns Golden Globes and NBC drops ceremony in row over diversity

Moves follow recent widespread criticism of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association

Tom Cruise has returned his Golden Globes in the latest blow to awards organisers the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), according to Deadline.

Cruise has reportedly sent back all three of the prizes awarded to him by the HFPA: Best Actor for Born on the Fourth of July and Jerry Maguire and Best Supporting Actor for Magnolia.

The news follows the announcement that NBC will not broadcast the 2022 Golden Globes awards ceremony. That decision comes after several months of criticism of the HFPA for a lack of diversity amongst its members.

In a statement published on Monday, NBC said: “We continue to believe that the HFPA is committed to meaningful reform. 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.”

Last week, the HFPA confirmed a list of proposed reforms in an effort to address the longstanding criticism, though they were dismissed by the Time’s Up organisation as “window dressing platitudes”.

Earlier on Monday, actress Scarlett Johannson called on the film industry to “step back” from the Golden Globes until HFPA and the awards undergo “fundamental reform”.

The Avengers star said in a statement that: “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. The HFPA is an organisation that was legitimised by the likes of Harvey Weinstein to amass momentum for Academy recognition, and the industry followed suit.”

She added: “Unless there is necessary fundamental reform within the organisation, 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.”

Johannson’s sentiments have been echoed by the likes of Netflix, which announced on Friday that it was “stopping any activities with [the HFPA] until more meaningful changes are made” and added that: “Netflix and many of the talent and creators we work with cannot ignore the HFPA’s collective failure to address these crucial issues with urgency and rigor.”

The HFPA has drawn particularly heavy criticism since it was revealed by the Los Angeles Times in February that there are no Black journalists among its 87 members. Time’s Up then launched a campaign to urge the organisation to reform which was received widespread support across Hollywood.