For decades, the Golden Globe Awards served as Hollywood’s glamorous, boozy, and often unpredictable kickoff to the awards season. It was a celebrated night where film and television’s biggest stars converged, an event seen as a crucial predictor of the Academy Awards and a powerful signal of who was rising and who was falling in the industry. But behind the red carpet’s dazzling lights and the televised broadcasts’ polished veneer, a quiet corruption was festering. A series of explosive scandals, from allegations of institutional racism and financial impropriety to claims of sexual assault, have not only tarnished the Golden Globes’ reputation but have effectively killed the show as we once knew it. This is the story of how an exclusive club of journalists went from being the gatekeepers of Hollywood’s elite to a disgraced institution, and why the Golden Globes as an American institution are, for all intents and purposes, dead.

The first crack in the Golden Globes’ glossy facade began in 2021 when a bombshell report from the Los Angeles Times revealed a stunning and infuriating truth: the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the tiny, secretive group of international journalists who served as the voting body for the awards, had zero Black members. The revelation was not just a minor scandal; it was an act of profound institutional racism that sent shockwaves throughout the entertainment industry. For an organization that had long positioned itself as a champion of diversity and global cinema, the complete absence of Black voices in its ranks was a blatant and unforgivable act of hypocrisy. The news came at a time when Hollywood was, more than ever, being held accountable for its lack of inclusivity. The HFPA’s failure to include a single Black journalist in nearly two decades was a symbol of a deeper, more systemic problem.

The backlash was swift and overwhelming. The public, already growing weary of the lack of diversity in awards shows, expressed their outrage on social media, with many calling for a complete boycott of the event. But the anger was not limited to the public. Major studios, including Netflix, Amazon Studios, and WarnerMedia, announced that they would cut all ties with the HFPA until meaningful and lasting reforms were made. The decision by these powerful companies was a crippling blow, a clear message that the HFPA could no longer operate with impunity. The boycott by these titans of content production was a powerful act of defiance, a clear signal that the Golden Globes’ long-standing business model was no longer tenable.

The scandal was made all the more painful by the actions of some of Hollywood’s most respected stars. The video and related news reports highlight the shocking move by Tom Cruise, who, in a powerful act of solidarity, returned the three Golden Globe trophies he had won for his iconic films Born on the Fourth of July, Jerry Maguire, and Magnolia. His decision was a dramatic rejection of the institution, a statement that transcended simple words. It was a gesture that said, “This award is no longer worth having.” Other actors, including Scarlett Johansson and Brendan Fraser, also joined the chorus of protest, with Johansson stating that she had been subjected to “sexist questions and comments that bordered on sexual harassment” by HFPA members.

The HFPA’s problems, it turned out, were far more complex and insidious than just a lack of diversity. The public’s new scrutiny brought to light long-standing accusations of bribery, what some in the industry referred to as “payola.” The HFPA was sued by a former publicist who alleged a “pay to play” scheme, where studios would offer lavish gifts and trips to members in exchange for nominations. This kind of transactional relationship, which had long been whispered about in Hollywood circles, was finally being exposed to the light. The most infamous example was the critically panned film The Tourist, which received multiple nominations after its stars, Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie, reportedly courted HFPA members. The nominations for the derided Netflix show Emily in Paris after members were gifted a lavish trip to France only served to further cement the public’s belief that the awards were not a meritocracy but a marketplace.

Perhaps the most tragic and deeply personal scandal to emerge was the sexual assault allegation made by actor Brendan Fraser. In a 2018 interview, Fraser claimed that former HFPA president Philip Berk had groped him at a luncheon in 2003. While Berk denied the allegations, the HFPA’s internal investigation concluded that the act was merely a “joke.” For Fraser, the incident was anything but, and it led to a period of deep depression and a retreat from the public eye. His decision to boycott the 2023 Golden Globes, despite being nominated for his critically acclaimed performance in The Whale, was a powerful and necessary act of defiance. It was a refusal to participate in an institution that had not only failed to hold one of its own accountable but had also dismissed a deeply traumatic experience.

In the face of these scandals, the Golden Globes became a pariah. NBC, the network that had long been its home, announced that it would not air the ceremony in 2022. The 79th Golden Globes was held as a private, non-televised event with no red carpet and no celebrity attendees. It was a humiliating and stark reminder that the show had lost its cultural relevance. Without the stars, the broadcast, and the public’s trust, the Golden Globes were nothing more than an internal party for a disgraced group of journalists. While the show has attempted to make a comeback since, with the HFPA being dissolved and the awards being acquired by a new production company, the damage is already done. The Golden Globes as we knew them are dead. They may exist in a new form, but the magic, the prestige, and the cultural relevance have been irrevocably lost. The old glamour has been replaced by a lingering stench of corruption and decay.

The fall of the Golden Globes is not just a story about a single awards show; it is a powerful parable about the end of an era. It’s a story that shows that in the modern age, even the most powerful institutions cannot escape accountability. It is a story of a system that was built on exclusivity and ethical compromise that was finally brought down by a public and an industry that refused to look away anymore. The Golden Globes may have been a highlight of the awards season, but their demise is a necessary and welcome step toward a more transparent, inclusive, and ethical Hollywood. The show is dead, and perhaps that’s for the best.