It seems not long ago, but in 2021 the Golden Globes didn’t even have one Black member across their voting body.
Today, their 330+ member voting body is now 60% racially and ethnically diverse: 26% Latino/Latina, 13% Asian, 11% Black, and 9% Middle Eastern, representing 75+ countries of origin.
Add to that, this year’s show welcomed their first solo female host, ultra topical and culturally relevant comedian Nikki Glaser.
That, along with Zendaya’s dominant Red Carpet look, Emilia Perez boasting the most nominations for a movie with 10, Denzel Washington, fresh off his Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony at the White House, becoming the most nominated Black performer in the history of the ceremony with 11, and Golden Globe winner Viola Davis receiving the 2025 Cecil B. DeMille Award, is it fair to ask: Have the Globes rebranded themselves to set the standard for inclusion?
Inclusion By Design
With tequila flowing, Nobu sushi in the building and an aesthetic that seemingly presented all shapes, sizes and skin tones in the best of light (literally), the Golden Globes felt like a peek into the world of globalization and content.
Two years ago, Eldridge Industries jumped at the opportunity to purchase the Golden Globe assets along with Dick Clark Productions and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). This year the organization showed real, visible changes. The HFPA which was heavily criticized for a lack of diversity in its execution of the awards – was ultimately shut down as a consequence. Under the new ownership, and with no pandemic or strikes to hamper their efforts, all systems, and nominees, were ready to go for a diverse reintroduction to the world.
The Nominees & Winners Shined
Zoe Saldaña won her first Golden Globe to kick off the awards for her role as Rita Mora Castro in Jacques Audiard’s avant-garde film Emilia Pérez. The movie is the first of its kind under Saint Laurent Productions—a subsidiary of the fashion house—who was co-producer and now offers filmmaking under it’s creative services.
FX’s “Shōgun” was the standout TV show, with Tadanobu Asano, Anna Sawai and Hiroyuki Sanada, along with the show itself bringing home four awards. And on the film side Fernanda Torres’ took home an award for “I’m Still Here.”
Demi Moore and Pamala Anderson both defied stereotypes about age showing off on the red carpet, with the former giving a powerful speech about believing in yourself saying “I’m just in shock right now. I’ve been doing this a long time, like over 45 years, and this is the first thing I’ve ever won as an actor.”
I could go on about so many different people in the room, but you can see the full list of winners here.
A High Bar for Awards Season
This years Globes also mark the official kick off Award Season. With the red carpets set to be rolled out over the next two months to highlight a variety of artists across genres, categories, ethnicities and professions in and around Hollywood. Viewers will now have a bar to set themselves against when it comes to creating an inclusive look and feel for their shows. Mark your calendars, as the following shows are set to air on:
Jan 12: The Critics Choice Awards
Feb 2: The Grammys Awards
Feb 8: The Directors Guild of America & Producers Guild of America Awards
Feb 15: The Writers Guild Awards
Feb 16: The BAFTAs
Feb 22: The NAACP Awards
Feb 23: The Screen Actors Guild Awards
March 2: The Academy Awards (Oscars)
Each of these award shows will serve as platforms for so many talented nominees, of which many have yet to be announced.
Stay locked in and excited, as this may be the year Hollywood award show’s grow more inclusive as the result of so many changes seeded over the past few years.
And with so much talk around Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts being benched or stalled across sectors. Perhaps this year, award show ceremonies will act as the stages that showcase America’s diversity to the world, and inspire those watching to know they too are represented, their voices are being heard, and most importantly they are being recognized for the talents they bring to the table.
Or perhaps, they’ve been the table all along.