Scandal-plagued HFPA sells Golden Globe Awards to Dick Clark Productions

Dick Clark Productions has bought the Golden Globe Awards and its assets from the embattled Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA).

This purchase will lead to the dissolution of the HFPA and its membership, as well as the transition of the Golden Globes from a non-profit organization to a commercial entity, reports Rollingstone.

Dick Clark Productions, owned by Penske Media Corporation and Eldridge, will assume ownership of the awards show in time for the next year's ceremony on January 7, 2024. The process of selecting nominees and winners is currently uncertain, as these responsibilities were previously handled by HFPA members, leading to allegations of misconduct.

The sale concludes a scandal-marred period for the Golden Globe Awards, which have faced criticism for many years.

The HFPA and its members have been plagued by accusations of vote manipulation and bribery. One former publicist even sued the organization in 2011 over an alleged payola scheme, resulting in a settlement in 2013.

Among the notable controversies was Brendan Fraser's claim that former HFPA president Philip Berk had groped him at an event in 2003.

Although the incident was known at the time and Fraser received an apology, it gained renewed attention when Fraser discussed it in a 2018 GQ profile. An HFPA investigation acknowledged that Berk had inappropriately touched Fraser, but claimed it was intended as a joke rather than a sexual advance. Despite being nominated for his role in The Whale, Fraser chose not to attend this year's Golden Globe Awards.

Berk was expelled from the HFPA in 2021, not directly related to the incident involving Fraser, but due to an email he sent to members that quoted an article referring to Black Lives Matter as a "racist hate movement."

This revelation came after a Los Angeles Times investigation revealed the HFPA's lack of diversity, including the absence of Black voting members until that year. The backlash led NBC to pause the Golden Globe Awards telecast for a year, and Tom Cruise returned three of his trophies in protest.