Golden Globes: Mark Ruffalo and Ava DuVernay praise NBC for dropping award show amid voter diversity backlash

Hollywood Foreign Press Association has faced criticism over its complete lack of black voters

Ava Duvernay and Mark Ruffalo (Getty)

Mark Ruffalo and Ava DuVernay are among the Hollywood stars to praise NBC for its decision to no longer air the Golden Globes.

On Monday (10 May), it was announced that the TV network would not broadcast the 2022 Golden Globes awards ceremony, following months of criticism of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for a lack of diversity amongst its members.

Among these were reports that there were no Black journalists among the 87 voting members.

In a statement, NBC said that while they “believe that the HFPA is committed to meaningful reform”, that “change of this magnitude takes time and work”. They said that they still hoped to air the 2023 ceremony, had changes been made.

Responding to the news, Avengers star Ruffalo tweeted: “Thank you, @NBC, for taking the time to do this right. #ChangeIsGolden.”

Bridgerton creator Shonda Rhimes wrote: “Every step forward matters. So many people in front of/behind the camera, at studios/streamers & PR firms took a stand to shift a piece of the biz model that affects the economic futures of artists who are often tokenized/not included. These steps can work in any industry.”

“Everything matters,” director DuVernay tweeted. “Even this. The ripple effects echo through our industry, especially for Black artists and artists of color.

“Kudos to all the activists, artists, publicists and executives who took a stand to make this so.”

In recent weeks, many Hollywood stars had spoken out against the award ceremony, including Scarlett Johansson, who called on the film industry to “step back” from the Golden Globes until HFPA and the awards undergo “fundamental reform”.

Meanwhile, Tom Cruise returned all three of his Golden Globes to HFPA in protest, it was reported on Monday.