Golden Globes

Golden Globes Red Carpet, Live Audience Canceled

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is taking extra safety measures to protect those participating in Sunday's ceremony from the latest COVID surge

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

The 79th Annual Golden Globe Awards are just around the corner — but this year's ceremony, which honors the best in film and television, will look a lot different.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which hosts the Golden Globes, announced Tuesday that it's taking extra safety measures to protect those participating in Sunday’s ceremony from the latest COVID surge.

For starters, the HFPA has eliminated the glitzy — and popular — red carpet.

The HFPA is also hosting the ceremony without an audience and is requiring that all attendees provide proof of vaccinations and booster shots, along with the results of a negative PCR test taken within 48 hours of the ceremony.

All attendees are also required to wear face masks and to practice social distancing at all times while inside the ballroom.

The changes are just the latest to shake up the 2022 Golden Globes.

In May, the HFPA agreed to enact changes in the face of criticism over diversity and ethics that arose after a Los Angeles Times story shined a light on how the HFPA had no Black members, as well as how the association had tight relationships with movie studios that could affect the nomination process.

“Over the last eight months, the HFPA has completely overhauled their bylaws, implementing sweeping changes from top to bottom that address ethics and code of conduct, diversity, equity and inclusion, governance, membership and more,” the HFPA said last month in a statement that announced this year's nominations.

“Recently, the HFPA admitted their largest and most diverse class to date of 21 new members, all of whom are first-time Golden Globe voters," the statement added.

In May, NBC announced the network would not air the Golden Globes telecast this year. So far, no broadcast partner has been announced for Sunday's ceremony.

This year's nominees include Kristen Stewart ("Spencer"), Lady Gaga ("House of Gucci"), Nicole Kidman ("Being the Ricardos"), Leonardo DiCaprio ("Don't Look Up"), Will Smith, (“King Richard"), Ben Affleck ("The Tender Bar”), Jennifer Aniston, (“The Morning Show”), Jean Smart (“Hacks”), Issa Rae (“Insecure”), Billy Porter ("Pose"), Lee Jung-Jae (“Squid Game”), Jason Sudeikis (“Ted Lasso”) and more.

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

Copyright Today Digital Originals
Contact Us