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Tom Cruise joins protest against HFPA, returns his 3 Golden Globe awards as NBC declines to air 2022 ceremony

'...we feel strongly that the HFPA needs time to do it right. As such, NBC will not air the 2022 Golden Globes,' the network said in a statement

Superstar Tom Cruise happens to be the latest celebrity to join the ongoing outrage against Golden Globes organizers Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). The HFPA first came under fire just ahead of the Golden Globes 2021 after it was found that the 86-member committee does not have any Black voting members. In a bold move, Tom Cruise decided to return all his three Golden Globes to express his dissent against the association. 

He joined fellow actors Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson and David Oyelowo who distanced themselves from the HFPA by issuing strong statements. Cruise's decision comes after streaming platforms Netflix, Amazon, WarnerMedia, and NBCUniversal boycotted the Golden Globes and HFPA, with NBC additionally announcing that they would not be airing the awards in 2022. 

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What are the awards being returned by Tom Cruise?

In his film career spanning decades, Cruise had won three coveted Golden Globe Awards and earned seven nominations. He won for the first time in 1990 in the category for Best Actor in a Drama Motion Picture for his performance in 'Born on the Fourth of July'. In 1997, Cruise won the Best Actor award for 'Jerry Maguire', followed by the Best Supporting Actor award in 2000 for 'Magnolia'. 

He has now returned all three awards and delivered the trophies to the HFPA. His bold and significant step was hailed by many, including filmmaker Ava DuVernay who said, "That time that Tom Cruise sent his @goldenglobes for ‘Jerry Maguire,’ ‘Magnolia’ and ‘Born on the Fourth of July’ in an actual box to the reception desk of HFPA to stand against their sexist, homophobic, racist practices of exclusion, harassment and bias.”

Her reaction was retweeted by actor J August Richards who said that he 'stans' the actor's stance. Actress Liz Jenkins also chimed in to express her support for Cruise. "Tom Cruise has never won an Oscar. He’s never won a SAG. Or a BAFTA. When that’s the guy who doesn’t think highly enough of your trophy to keep it, even though it’s the most “prestigious” he’s won, you’re cooked," film critic Robert Daniels tweeted. 

Meanwhile, NBC issued a strong statement condemning the HFPA and also declaring that they would refrain from airing the Golden Globes award show in 2022. "We continue to believe that the HFPA is committed to meaningful reform. However, change of this magnitude takes time and work, and we feel strongly that the HFPA needs time to do it right. As such, NBC will not air the 2022 Golden Globes. Assuming the organization executes on its plan, we are hopeful we will be in a position to air the show in January 2023," an NBC spokesperson said in a statement.

The besieged Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s board has issued a statement about NBC’s canceling of its 2022 Golden Globe Awards and released a timeline for its self-imposed reforms. The move comes hours after NBC said it won’t air next year’s Globes and Cruise returned the Globes trophies he has won over his career. The board stated:

"Regardless of the next air date of the Golden Globes, implementing transformational changes as quickly – and as thoughtfully – as possible remains the top priority for our organization. We invite our partners in the industry to the table to work with us on the systemic reform that is long overdue, both in our organization as well as within the industry at large." 

Read the full reform plans and timeline here.