Golden Globes

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) was founded in 1943 as the Hollywood Foreign Correspondent Association (HFCA) by Los Angeles–based foreign journalists seeking to develop a better-organized process of gathering and distributing cinema news to non-U.S. markets. One of the organization's first major endeavors was to establish a ceremony similar to the Academy Awards to honor film achievements. The 1st Golden Globe Awards ceremony, honoring the best achievements in 1943 filmmaking, was held in January 1944, at the 20th Century-Fox studios. Subsequent ceremonies were held at various venues throughout the next decade, including the Beverly Hills Hotel and the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Foreign Press Association of Hollywood's Henrietta Awards In 1950, some of the journalists in the HFCA broke away to form the Foreign Press Association of Hollywood (FPAH). It was the FPAH that instituted the Henrietta Award for World Film Favorite, which was subsequently given out by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the new name for the organization when the FPAH and HFCA merged in 1955, minus the "Henrietta" name through 1980 (for the 1979 movie year). In January 1954, the two organizations held a joint ceremony, and the following year, they merged under the new Hollywood Foreign Press Association name. The Henrietta Award was terminated, but the HFPA instituted a special award called World Film Favorite, a Golden Globe surmounted by an angel. Similar to the Henrietta Award for World Film Favorite, the winner of the new HFPA Golden Globe was determined by a worldwide poll conducted by Reuters. This award, sometimes referred to as The Henrietta Award, was given out through 1980 for the 1979, movie year, when it was terminated. In 2009, the Golden Globe statuette was redesigned (but not for the first time in its history). The New York firm Society Awards collaborated for a year with the HFPA to produce a statuette that included a unique marble and enhanced the statuette's quality and gold content. It was unveiled at a press conference at the Beverly Hilton prior to the show. The Carol Burnett Award was created as a television counterpart to the Cecil B. DeMille Award, named after its first recipient in 2019, actress and comedian Carol Burnett. Revenues from award broadcast Revenues generated from the annual ceremony have enabled the HFPA to donate millions of dollars to entertainment-related charities, as well as funding scholarships and other programs for future film and television professionals. The most prominent beneficiary is the Young Artist Awards, presented annually by the Young Artist Foundation, established in 1978 by Hollywood Foreign Press member Maureen Dragone, to recognize and award excellence of young Hollywood performers under the age of 21 and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically or financially challenged. 2022 boycott, acquisition by Dick Clark Productions In 2021, the HFPA faced criticism for the lack of Black representation among its members. On May 3, 2021, the HFPA announced plans for a reform package, including a 50% increase in members over the next 18 months, as well as new positions, term limits, and practices to improve its accountability. However, Time's Up and a group of 100 PR firms criticized the lack of given timelines for filling some of the new management positions, arguing that they would not be completed soon enough to have any material impact on the cycle of the upcoming 79th Golden Globe Awards in January 2022. Time's Up further argued that the package "largely contains no specifics" nor "commitments to real accountability or change". On May 7, 2021, both Amazon Studios and Netflix announced that they would stop their activities with the HFPA until sufficient actions on reforms are made. Other media companies followed suit on May 10, including NBC, who announced that it would not televise the 79th Golden Globe Awards, but that it would be open to televising the ceremony in 2023 if the HFPA were successful in its efforts to reform. WarnerMedia also boycotted the HFPA, Following these events, the HFPA released a timeline for its reforms, which would see the process completed by the week of August 2. On October 1, the HFPA released a list of 21 new members that it had recruited under these reforms, and named Todd Boehly (owner of ceremony producer Dick Clark Productions) as its "interim CEO". The HFPA then announced on October 15 that it still planned to hold the 79th Golden Globe Awards on January 9, 2022, with or without another media partner. With the televised absence of the Golden Globe Awards from NBC, the Critics Choice Association attempted to shift their Critics' Choice Movie Awards ceremony up a week to fill the void and increase their overall prestige, though it was later delayed due to SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. The 79th ceremony was conducted as a non-televised, private presentation, with limited guests (particularly beneficiaries of the HFPA's philanthropic activities) and strict COVID-19 protocol due to Omicron variant. In July 2022, the HFPA approved a major restructuring, under which Boehly would establish a for-profit entity via his holding company Eldridge Industries (owner of Dick Clark Productions—which has produced the Golden Globes' telecast since 1993, that will hold the Golden Globe Awards' intellectual property and oversee the "professionalization and modernization" of the ceremony, including "[increasing] the size and diversity of the available voters for the annual awards". The HFPA's philanthropic activities were to continue separately as a non-profit entity. NBC subsequently agreed to a one-year contract to air the 80th Golden Globe Awards on January 10, 2023, which were moved to a Tuesday evening to avoid conflicting with the National Football League (whose regular season was recently extended into January) and the College Football Playoff National Championship (which was being hosted at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood). On June 12, 2023, the Golden Globe Awards' assets and intellectual property were acquired by DCP (whose ownership includes Penske Media Corporation, owner of fellow entertainment publications Deadline Hollywood and Variety) and Eldridge; the financial details of the purchase were not disclosed. The HFPA's philanthropic activities were transferred to a new entity known as the Golden Globe Foundation. Podcasts added in 2026 For the 2026 awards the Golden Globes added a new category for Best Podcast, citing the 'seismic' growth of the medium. The inaugural award was won by Amy Poehler for her weekly show, Good Hang with Amy Poehler. ==Rules==

Eligibility The qualifying eligibility period for all nominations is the calendar year from January 1 through December 31. Voice-over performances and cameo appearances in which persons play themselves are not eligible from all film and TV acting categories. Films must be at least 70 minutes and released for at least a seven-day run in the Greater Los Angeles area, starting prior to midnight on December 31. Films can be released in theaters, on pay-per-view, or by digital delivery. Ballots to select the nominations are sent to voters in November, along with a "Reminder List" of eligible film and TV programs. Each HFPA member then votes for their top five choices in each category, numbering them 5 to 1, with 5 being their top choice. The nominees in each category are then the five selections that receive the most votes. The ranked voting is only used to break ties, with number 5 worth 5 points, number 4 worth 4 points, and so on. ==Ceremony==

The broadcast of the Golden Globe Awards, broadcast to 167 countries worldwide, generally ranks as the third most-watched awards show each year, behind only the Oscars and the Grammy Awards. Since 2010, it was televised live in all United States time zones. Until Ricky Gervais hosted in 2010, the award ceremony was one of two major Hollywood award ceremonies (the other being the Screen Actors Guild Awards) that did not have a regular host; every year a different presenter introduced the ceremony at the beginning of the broadcast. Gervais returned to host the 68th and 69th Golden Globe Awards the next two years. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hosted the 70th, 71st and 72nd Golden Globe Awards in 2013 through 2015. Broadcasting The HFPA had previously held a lucrative broadcasting agreement with NBC, which began televising the Golden Globes ceremony locally in Los Angeles in 1958, then nationally in 1964. However, in 1968, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) claimed the show "misled the public as to how the winners were determined" (allegations included that winners were determined by lobby; to motivate winners to show up to the awards ceremony winners were informed if they did not attend another winner would be named). The FCC admonished NBC for participating in the scandal. Subsequently, NBC refused to broadcast the ceremony from 1968 until after 1974. Since 1993, Dick Clark Productions (DCP) had produced the ceremony with NBC as a broadcaster; DCP's involvement came at a time of instability for the Golden Globes, including reduced credibility and having lost its contract with CBS (the interim period saw it contract with cable network TBS to air the ceremony). Enthusiastic over Clark's commitment, the HFPA's contract contained an unusual provision granting DCP the role of producer in perpetuity, provided that it continued to maintain a broadcast rights agreement with NBC. Due to threats of writers picketing the event as part of the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike, the 65th Golden Globe Awards ceremony was cancelled and replaced by an hour-long press conference to announce the winners. While NBC sought to be the exclusive broadcaster of the press conference, NBC faced conflicts with the HFPA and Dick Clark Productions over the proposed coverage, including a demand for a rights fee, and concerns over plans to have Billy Bush and Nancy O'Dell of NBC's syndicated entertainment news program Access Hollywood serve as presenters. The HFPA subsequently announced that it would not restrict coverage of the press conference by other broadcasters. E! and TV Guide Network (who were typically known for red carpet coverage from major awards shows) both aired coverage of the press conference, as well as CNN. NBC declined to air the conference itself; the ceremony timeslot was filled by a Dateline NBC preview special, an hour-long results special hosted by Bush and O'Dell, and an Access Hollywood post-show also hosted by Bush and O'Dell. In 2010, Dick Clark Productions reached an extension with NBC through 2018. However, the deal was negotiated without the HFPA's knowledge. The HFPA sued DCP over the deal, as well as claims that the company was attempting to sell digital rights that it did not hold; the HFPA had wanted a new contract that would grant them a larger share of revenue from the telecast. in September 2018, NBC agreed to renew its rights to the Golden Globes through 2027, maintaining the current broadcast arrangement and the involvement of Dick Clark Productions. In 2019 and 2020, NBC televised the late Sunday afternoon National Football League (NFL) playoff game (which had historically gone to another NFL broadcaster) as a lead-in to the Golden Globes. Because of the large viewership of NFL playoff games, this was intended to boost the Golden Globes' television ratings, which dropped 11% between 2017 and 2018. If the game ever went long, NBC planned to still air the Golden Globes in its entirety on a broadcast delay. The 2021 ceremony was then postponed to February 28 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cinema and on television, avoiding the NFL season altogether. Per the aforementioned 2022 boycott, NBC declined to air the 2022 ceremony, In March 2024, DCP announced a five-year agreement with CBS to continue airing the Golden Globes; the agreement also includes rights to the DCP-produced American Music Awards beginning in 2025, which had gone on hiatus after 2022 when its contract with ABC expired. In September 2025, it was announced that CBS would air an additional Golden Globes special—Golden Eve— on the Thursday prior to the ceremony, which will highlight the recipients of the Cecil B. DeMille and Carol Burnett lifetime achievement awards, and feature highlights from the previously non-televised gala. ==Categories==

Motion picture awards • Best Motion Picture – Drama: since 1943 (separated genre in 1951) • Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy: since 1951 • Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language: since 1948 • Best Motion Picture – Animated: since 2006 • Best Cinematic and Box Office Achievement – Motion Picture: since 2024 • Best Director – Motion Picture: since 1943 • Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama: since 1943 (separated genre in 1951) • Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy: since 1951 • Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama: since 1943 (separated genre in 1951) • Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy: since 1951 • Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture: since 1943 • Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture: since 1943 • Best Screenplay – Motion Picture: since 1947 • Best Score – Motion Picture: since 1947 • Best Song – Motion Picture: since 1961 • Cecil B. DeMille Award for Lifetime Achievement in Motion Pictures: since 1951 Television awards • Best Television Series – Drama: since 1961 • Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy: since 1961 • Best Miniseries or Motion Picture – Television: since 1971 • Best Actor in a Television Series – Drama: since 1961 • Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy: since 1961 • Best Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture – Television: since 1981 • Best Actress in a Television Series – Drama: since 1961 • Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy: since 1961 • Best Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture – Television: since 1981 • Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television: since 1970 • Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television: since 1970 • Best Stand-Up Comedy Performance – Television: since 2024 • Carol Burnett Award for Lifetime Achievement in Television: since 2018 Audio awards • Best Podcast: since 2026 Retired awards • Best Documentary • Awarded from 1972 to 1976 • Best English-Language Foreign Motion Picture • Awarded from 1957 to 1973 • New Star of the Year – Actor • Awarded from 1948 to 1983 • New Star of the Year – Actress • Awarded from 1948 to 1983 • Henrietta Award (World Film Favorite – Female) • Awarded from 1950 to 1979 • Henrietta Award (World Film Favorite – Male) • Awarded from 1950 to 1979 • Promoting International Understanding • Awarded from 1945 to 1964 • Best Cinematography – Motion Picture • Awarded from 1948 to 1953, in 1955 and in 1963 • Special Award – Juvenile Performance • Awarded in 1948, 1949, 1953 and 1959 ==Superlatives==

Films Television People Actors ==Ratings==

;Notes ==Scandals and criticism==

Since the late 1950s, the HFPA had been racked by scandals and controversies. The organization had been criticized for the small size of its membership, the quality of the members, its exclusion of serious cinema journalists, and their closeness to the movie industry and stars. The Golden Globes under the HFPA were also accused of being bought or bartered, with the HFPA's members having been easily swayed by high-priced gifts and access offered by studios, production companies, and stars. FCC broadcast ban The FCC imposed a ban on NBC's broadcast of the Golden Globes after the February 1968 ceremony. Movie critic Rex Reed, in a contemporary article about the broadcast, wrote: NBC's telcast of the Foreign Press Association's 25th annual Golden Globe Awards had to be seen to be disbelieved. The Federal Communications Commission have sent lawyers to have it investigated. But award-giving, pointless as it is, is still big business, and it also gives viewers a chance to see their favorite stars make fools of themselves in public, so the Golden Globes were back, minus some of their sponsors, who backed out at the last minute.... Just last week Newsweek reported denials from the Foreign Press Association that its members give awards to the stars who throw the biggest feeds. "We are not influenced by a glass of champagne," snapped [HFPA President Howard] Luft, "Kirk Douglas threw a party last year, and what did he win? Nothing." This year there was even a special category called the Cecil B. DeMille Humanitarian Award. Who won? You guessed it. Kirk Douglas. The FCC was spurred to action because the public had been misled as to how the awards were actually made. Golden Globe broadcast advertisers determined Golden Globe winners and the HFPA pressured nominees to attend the award ceremony by threatening to award the Golden Globe won by a non-attendee to a losing nominee who was at the ceremony. The ban lasted until 1974. Accusations were made that the Foreign Press Association members had been bought off. Zadora's husband, multimillionaire Meshulam Riklis, flew voting members to his casino, the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas, which gave the appearance that they voted for Zadora to repay this. Riklis also invited voting members to his house for a lavish lunch and a showing of the film. He also spent a great deal on advertising. Furthermore, Zadora had made her film debut some 17 years earlier as a child performer in Santa Claus Conquers the Martians. 2011 payola charges In 2011, three days before the Golden Globe Awards telecast, publicist Michael Russell filed a $2 million lawsuit alleging that HFPA President Philip Berk terminated Russell and his partner's contract after the 2010 broadcast because they raised ethical concerns over payola with him, including allegations that HFPA members took bribes for nominations and awards. The lawsuit alleged that HFPA members "abuse their positions and engage in unethical and potentially unlawful deals and arrangements which amount to a 'payola' scheme." The HFPA denied the allegations, claiming they were fabrications made up by a disgruntled ex-employee. The lawsuit was later settled. Burlesque and The Tourist for Best Musical/Comedy nominations in 2011 The nominations for the 2011 Golden Globes drew initial skepticism, as the Hollywood Foreign Press Association nominated The Tourist in its Best Musical/Comedy categories, even though it was originally advertised as a spy thriller, along with being one of the most panned films of the season. Host Ricky Gervais even jokingly asked the main star of the film, Johnny Depp, if he had seen it. Depp's co-star Angelina Jolie reportedly had personally lobbied HFPA members, resulting in a nomination in a category the film did not belong in. The lobbying by Sony also resulted in a Best Musical/Comedy nod for Cher's badly-reviewed movie Burlesque. Asian films excluded from Best Motion Picture categories In 2020, the HFPA received widespread criticism for nominating Asian and Asian American films, such as The Farewell, Parasite, and Minari, for Best Foreign Language Film while excluding them from the Best Motion Picture categories. The decision to categorize Minari as a foreign language film, despite having an exclusively American production team and setting, was heavily condemned by many actors and filmmakers of Asian descent. While HFPA rules stipulate that a film must have at least 50% English dialogue to be nominated for the Best Drama or Comedy/Musical categories, critics noted that the films Inglourious Basterds and Babel did not meet the 50% threshold but were still nominated for the Best Motion Picture categories, prompting accusations of anti-Asian racism. Calls for reform in response to these issues resulted in the 79th Golden Globe Awards being boycotted by its broadcaster and other production companies; as a result, the ceremony was held as a non-televised, private event. A televised ceremony returned the following year. ==See also==