Time's Up calls out zero Black HFPA members voting on Golden Globes; stars join protest

Time's Up is calling for reform in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association just days ahead of the Golden Globe Awards over the lack of diversity among deciding members.

The advocacy organization launched the #TIMESUPGlobes hashtag Friday, alongside a graphic that reads, "Hollywood Foreign Press Association: Not a Single Black Member Out of 87."

Time's Up is referring to a recent investigation by the Los Angeles Times that revealed there isn't a single Black member in the 87-person group of international journalists which decides who goes home with Golden Globe hardware. In fact, there hasn't been a Black member since 1987.

Though the Times notes the HFPA does have a number of people of color in its ranks, the lack of diversity among voting members directly reflects the noticeable snub of top Black-led films in best picture categories this year, including Spike Lee's "Da 5 Bloods," "One Night in Miami" and "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom."

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Time's Up, the foundation created out of the #MeToo movement that works to address inequality and injustice in the entertainment industry and beyond, referred USA TODAY's request for comment to the HFPA.

When reached for comment by USA TODAY, representatives for the HFPA said the group welcomes the opportunity to meet with groups like Time's Up, as well as prospective Black members interested in joining the group to address the issue. The group also noted that it is majority female and said more than 35% of its members are from non-European countries across the world.

In a statement posted to Instagram Friday, the HFPA said it is committed to "bring in Black members" and "members from other underrepresented backgrounds."

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"We are fully committed to ensuring our membership is reflective of the communities around the world who love film, TV and the artists inspiring and educating them," the group said in a statement. "We will immediately work to implement an action plan to achieve these goals as soon as possible."

Key Hollywood players, including presenter Sterling K. Brown, Shonda Rhimes, Ava DuVernay and Judd Apatow, shared the protest campaign on their respective social media accounts Friday.

"For any governing body of a current Hollywood award show to have such a lack of voting representation illustrates a level of irresponsibility that should not be ignored,” said Brown, who urged the HFPA to do better.

He said the organization has a responsibility to show its “constituency is fully reflective of the world in which we live.”

“And having a multitude of Black presenters does not absolve you of your lack of diversity,” Brown continued. “This is your moment to do the right thing. It is my hope that you will.”

DuVernay called the revelation "Old news. New energy."

Apatow added: "So many crazy things about the @goldenglobes and the Hollywood Foreign press but this is awful. #timesupglobes."

Patton Oswalt tweeted that "a cosmetic fix is not enough" and comedian Amy Schumer wrote the same on Twitter.

Olivia Wilde echoed the sentiment.

"I support and congratulate all the nominees, but the HFPA needs to change in meaningful ways. Cosmetic fixes are not enough," she tweeted.

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Across all TV categories, only two Black actors were nominated for Golden Globes this year (Don Cheadle for “Black Monday” and John Boyega for “Small Axe”) and zero Black actresses earned nods, despite critical acclaim for performances such as Michaela Coel in “I May Destroy You” and Uzo Aduba in “Mrs. America.”

Mahershala Ali failed to earn a nod for "Ramy," and while "Lovecraft Country" is in the running for best drama series, its Black actors weren't recognized. "Never Have I Ever," featuring many Indian actors, failed to gain nominations, as did "Insecure" and "Bridgerton."

The Golden Globes will air live coast-to-coast on NBC at 8 EST/5 PST. The three-hour event will be bicoastal, hosted by Tina Fey live from the Rainbow Room in New York City and Amy Poehler from the usual awards home, Los Angeles' Beverly Hilton.

Contributing: David Oliver, Hannah Yasharoff, Bryan Alexander, The Associated Press

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Golden Globes controversy: Time's Up calls out zero Black HFPA members