Golden Globes set to air as owners and HFPA | TV Shows

The 82nd Golden Globes is set to air this Sunday but the new owners of the awards show and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association might be at war behind the scenes.

The HFPA was founded in 1943 as a non-profit by a group of international entertainment journalists and they went on to establish the Golden Globes the following year.

Now, the group is allegedly furious that most of them won’t be allowed inside the ceremony which will honor Hollywood A-listers and celebrate the best movies and television of the past year.

Two years ago Eldridge Industries, an investment firm headed by Chelsea F.C. owner Todd Boehley, made a bid to split the operation into two parts: a for-profit sector that would run the awards ceremony, and the non-profit HFPA.

Included in the deal, 66 so-called “legacy members” of the HFPA were set to get a $75,000-a-year salary for five years, plus health insurance, Globes voting rights for life, various other benefits and — according to members — four tickets to the annual awards show.

Dick Clark Productions and Eldridge acquired the Golden Globes in June of 2023.

They bought the awards show, its assets, rights and properties from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, turning the Hollywood awards show into a commercial enterprise.

As a result, the HFPA and its membership shuttered.

The announcement was made by Boehly, Chairman of Eldridge, and Jay Penske, CEO, chairman and Founder, Penske Media, who also is CEO of DCP.

The transaction completed a process that was kicked off the previous July, when the HFPA approved Eldridge Industries’ proposal to create a private entity to manage its Golden Globes assets, with a separate nonprofit to preserve its charitable and philanthropic programs, per Deadline.

The restructure was proposed by Boehly, who was named interim CEO of the HFPA in fall 2021 amid the organization’s restructuring after backlash over its practices and lack of diversity.

“We are excited to close on this much anticipated member-approved transaction and transition from a member-led organization to a commercial enterprise,” said HFPA President Helen Hoehne.

Comedian Nikki Glaser will host the Golden Globes this weekend.

In August, after CBS and the Golden Globes announced her hosting of the 82nd annual ceremony on January 5, Glaser said in a statement that she was “absolutely thrilled.”

Glaser said in a statement: “I am absolutely thrilled to be hosting the Golden Globes. It’s one of my favorite nights of television and now I get a front-row seat (actually, I think I have to host from the stage).”

She then joked about the opportunity: “The Golden Globes is not only a huge night for TV and film, but also for comedy. It’s one of the few times that show business not only allows, but encourages itself to be lovingly mocked (at least I hope so). (God, I hope so).”