The crisis-ridden Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the organization that organizes the Golden Globes, has ousted Philip Berk, the former president who caused widespread outrage, by sharing an anti-Black Lives Matter article describing the movement as a ‘racist hatred’. group”.
In a brief statement, the HFPA said, “Effective immediately, Phil Berk is no longer a member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.” The HFPA move follows outspoken criticism from NBC, the television network that broadcasts and pays for the Golden Globes, which called for Berk’s expulsion. NBC strongly condemns Phil Berk’s actions … [and] rapid action on this front is a vital element for NBC to move forward with the HFPA and the Golden Globes. “
Berk’s removal followed the controversy over his email reported by the LA Times in which he forwarded an article through a right-wing website. Several HFPA members had responded angrily to Berk’s email, with one writing, “The mean rhetoric in this screed is just unacceptable,” and another calling Berk “a thundering shame.”
However, the HFPA faced further problems after it was reported that Dr. Shaun Harper, the recently hired diversity and inclusion counselor, had stepped down. Harper, the executive director of USC’s Race and Equity Center, had been hired as a consultant by the HFPA after criticizing the lack of diversity among the organization’s members. He reportedly resigned after meeting with representatives of the Time’s Up campaign group, including director-producer Ava DuVernay and producer Shonda Rhimes.
The Hollywood Reporter quoted Harper’s letter of resignation, saying, “I no longer have faith in our ability to work together to create the transformational change that the industry and the people in it I deeply respect demand of you.”
Another recently hired adviser to the HFPA, crisis management firm Smith & Company, led by celebrated “crisis guru” Judy Smith, has also reportedly deviated from his advisory role.
The crisis that engulfed the HFPA began shortly before the January Golden Globes awards, when an LA Times report accused the organization of a lack of diversity in its membership and “ethical shortcomings” in the way it did business.