Last year’s Golden Globes were mostly notable for how many famous people were not in attendance for reasons including but not limited to a history of unchecked racism. However, this year’s award show was hosted by comedian Jerrod Carmichael, who made a point to address the elephant in the room:

He also pointed out how the Hollywood Foreign Press Association didn’t have a single black member in its voting body for its entire history before George Floyd was killed. The HFPA has well-earned a racist reputation over the years, coming to a head in 2021 when then-president Phillip Berk was ousted for making disparaging remarks about Black Lives Matter.

“I’ll tell you why I’m here. I’m here because I’m Black.”

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That’s not the first time the HFPA under Berk has left a bad taste in people’s mouths.

In 2018, Brendan Fraser accused Berk of groping him in 2003. Following the allegation, the HFPA conducted an internal investigation and concluded that Berk had, in fact, “inappropriately touched Mr. Fraser,” however, “evidence supports that it was intended to be taken as a joke and not as a sexual advance.”

As a result, the actor, who was nominated Tuesday for a Best Actor Golden Globe for his transformative performance in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale, has been actively boycotting the event, which is put on by the HFPA. Unfortunately, Fraser didn’t win for his performance in the 2022 picture, though he was up against some tough competition.

In 2018, Fraser told GQ:

Fraser also said:

“It’s because of the history that I have with them. And my mother didn’t raise a hypocrite. You can call me a lot of things, but not that.”

The Best Actor award ultimately went to Austin Butler for his portrayal of the famous titular singer in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic.

“I have more history with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association than I have respect for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.”

The Sordid History of the HFPA

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The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, i.e., the “nonprofit” organization responsible for producing the annual Golden Globes awards ceremony, has garnered an unfavorable reputation for its history of shady and downright sleazy behavior behind-the-scenes.

From passing over black-led obvious award contenders to accepting quid pro quo bribes from movie studios to diverting NBC-sponsored funding away from community investments to paying its own committee members $100,000 per month — the HFPA has come to represent little more than a televised racist money-laundering operation quickly losing cultural capital. The organization will undoubtedly have a ton of work to do before viewers and audience members are willing to forget the controversies which surrounded the HFPA for so long.