The ratings for the 2023 Golden Globes Awards are in — and they are unimpressive.
Even though the ceremony honored “Abbott Elementary,” “House of the Dragon,” and “The White Lotus” in the television categories and most of the winners collected their awards in person, viewership hit a record low.
The event has been under scrutiny following allegations that its organizers, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), had some ethical lapses and did not allow for diversity. The controversy even led many to believe that several celebrities would avoid attending this year’s ceremony.
Golden Globes Suffers A Drop In Viewership For Its 80th Annual Ceremony
When the Golden Globes returned to NBC and streaming platform Peacock on Tuesday, January 11, it was done with much fanfare. However, this year’s show, hosted by Jerrod Carmichael, pulled in fewer viewers than its televised broadcast in 2021.
That year, the events were enjoyed by 6.9 million viewers — a sharp 60% drop from 2020, when 18.3 million people tuned into the three-hour broadcast. For this year, Variety has reported that only 6.3 million people tuned in with a 1.1 ads rating, marking a 9% and 26% drop, respectively.
Additionally, content from the ceremony “garnered nearly 11 million digital page views and video views, up +54% from 2021” across NBC Digital and E! News platforms. To that end, NBC claimed that the Globes were the “most social special event across all of television season-to-date (linear and streaming), both in terms of social engagements and social video views.”
Considering the event was held on a school night, it is understandable that the 2021 one slightly outdid this year’s event. At that time, the Amy Poehler and Tina Fey-hosted 78th Golden Globes was a virtual and bicoastal affair amid the pandemic.
It is worth noting that the ceremony was not televised on NBC in 2022 following the allegations of dubious financial practices within the HFPA. And as we mentioned earlier, the little evidence of representation and diversity, such as a lack of Black members, did not help.
The small organization had instead hosted a private ceremony — without the attendance of nominated celebs— at the Beverly Hilton. After months of silence and possible introspection, HFPA president Helen Hoehne publicly detailed the reforms carried out by the organization.
Per the reform, NBC signed a one-year broadcast deal with the group and Globes producer Dick Clark Productions, allowing “the HFPA and DCP to explore new opportunities for domestic and global distribution across a variety of platforms in the future.”
The Globes Put An End To Nepo Babies Escorting Winners To Receive Their Awards
The Globes’ other scrapped its 60-year-old tradition of hiring children of stars that would escort award winners on stage. The move came on the heels of the nepotism babies conversation rekindled by a New York Magazine cover story last year.
Even though there was no official statement on the decision, The Blast did learn that the HFPA was overhauling its members to improve diversity, transparency, and inclusivity, which have gone ignored for years.
Before the tradition got axed, a handful of actors and actresses had been able to walk Globes winners onstage. One such person is “Working Girl” star Melanie Griffith — her mother is former fashion model and actress Tippi Hedren — who took on the task in 1975.
Griffith’s daughter and “Crazy in Alabama” screen queen, Dakota Johnson, wore the crown years later in 2006. In 1986, it was the turn of five-time Golden Globe winner Laura Dern — she was born to Silver Bear-winning actor Bruce Dern and BAFTA award-winning actress Diane Ladd.
While all three of Sylvester Stallone’s daughters — Scarlet Rose, Sistine, and Sophia Rose — got their opportunities in 2017, Isan Elba, Idris Elba’s daughter, got her shot two years later. The last nepo babies to walk award winners to receive their accolades were Jackson and Satchel Lee — actor Spike Lee’s twin son and daughter in 2021.
Simone Garcia Johnson (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s eldest daughter) and Dylan and Paris Brosnan (children of Pierce Brosnan and Keely Shaye Smith) have also gotten their shot at the tradition.
Until its cancellation, it was known as Miss (or Mr.) Golden Globe — a befitting title for the Golden Globe Ambassador of that year.