Once a fixture in the awards season calendar – the raucous party known for boosting the campaigns of Oscar hopefuls – the Golden Globes has become mired in controversy and was not broadcast by NBC in 2022. From the criticisms levelled against the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (the small group of international journalists who vote on the awards) to the news that it will be returning to screens in 2023, here’s what you need to know.

Why was the Hollywood Foreign Press Association criticised in 2021?

On 21 February 2021, a Los Angeles Times investigation accused the HFPA of “self dealing” and highlighted potential conflicts of interest. Among them was the fact that 30 HFPA members had been flown to France to visit the set of Emily in Paris in 2019. Two years later, the series was nominated for two Golden Globes, while more critically lauded shows like I May Destroy You were snubbed. It was also revealed that the organisation had no Black members. Meher Tatna, its former president, later told Variety that there hadn’t been any Black members for at least two decades. The backlash was swift, with several former Golden Globe nominees including Ava DuVernay demanding change via social media.

Just days before the 2021 Golden Globes ceremony on 28 February, the HFPA responded with a statement saying: “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. We understand that we need to bring in Black members, as well as members from other underrepresented backgrounds, and we will immediately work to implement an action plan to achieve these goals as soon as possible.”

What happened next?

Things quickly went from bad to worse. In March 2021, the HFPA hired a new strategic diversity advisor and vowed that at least 13 percent of its membership would be Black. However, in April, Deadline reported that HFPA member and former eight-term president Philip Berk had sent an email sharing an article that labelled Black Lives Matter a “racist hate movement”. Berk was expelled, but the incident set off a chain of events that led to the departure of the HFPA’s crisis communications firm and diversity consultant.

The organisation unveiled further plans for reform in May – promising to diversify and proposing restrictions on the gifts its voters can accept – but Netflix, Amazon Studios and WarnerMedia all announced that they’d boycott the HFPA until there was more meaningful change. On 10 May, NBC released a statement saying it would not be airing the 2022 Golden Globes. “We continue to believe that the HFPA is committed to meaningful reform,” it read. “However, change of this magnitude takes time and work, and we feel strongly that the HFPA needs time to do it right. Assuming the organisation executes on its plan, we are hopeful we will be in a position to air the show in January 2023.”