HOLLYWOOD — The Golden Globe Awards are under new management.

Dick Clark Productions and private equity firm Eldridge Industries are now in control of the embattled Hollywood awards program that has come under fire in recent years for a lack of diversity amongst its members.

What You Need To Know

  • Eldridge Industries and Dick Clark Productions are taking over the Golden Globe Awards and making it a for-profit enterprise

  • The Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. had put on the awards for 80 years

  • The Golden Globe Awards' new owners will make its 95 members employees

  • The HFPA's existing funds and sales of its assets will help establish the Golden Globe Foundation to continue charitable giving

As part of the deal, the nonprofit’s 95 members will become employees and the operation will be for profit. HFPA’s existing funds and proceeds from selling its assets will help establish the Golden Globe Foundation to continue charitable giving. The HFPA has distributed more than $45 million to 70 charities since the 1990s when it first began collecting licensing fees for the annual awards program.

“We are excited to close on this much anticipated member-approved transaction and transition from a member-led organization to a commercial enterprise,” former HFPA president Helen Hoehne said in a statement Monday.

The deal can go forward now that California Attorney General Rob Bonta has approved the commercialization plan first proposed two years ago, following a Los Angeles Times investigation that revealed the HFPA had no Black members and public complaints that the group’s lack of diversity led to racist choices in its award nominations. In 2022, NBC refused to broadcast the Golden Globes until the group addressed its issues.

“Today marks a significant milestone in the evolution of the Golden Globes,” Eldridge Industries Chairman Todd Boehly said in a statement.  “My partners at [Dick Clark Production] and I are grateful to Helen and team for their commitment to the successful implementation of a robust approach to governance, the expansion of the diverse and international voting body, implementing a professional, safe and accountable environment, and trusting new ownership with a new direction for the Globes.”

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has hosted the Golden Globe Awards for 80 years, following its establishment as a professional press club for expatriate journalists reporting on the film industry.