(Beverly Hills) Michelle Yeoh, Will Ferrell, Angela Bassett and Amanda Seyfried will present awards at the “Golden Globe” gala on Sunday.
Organizers announced the first group of presenters on Wednesday, which will also include Julia Garner, George Lopez and Justin Hartley.
Wednesday’s announcement is the latest indicator that stars are likely to return to the Golden Globes after several years of controversy. The gala – generally a well-drinking celebration of cinema and television – is seen as a precursor to the Oscars.
But the scandals led to a membership overhaul and the arrival of a new broadcaster, CBS, for the January 7 gala. A key question remains: Will viewers tune in to this 81st Golden Globes ceremony? The three-hour show, broadcast live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel from 8 p.m., will in any case have a strong locomotive, since CBS broadcasts an NFL football match just before.
The past few years have been tumultuous behind the scenes at the Golden Globes, following an explosive report in the Los Angeles Times in 2021 that revealed there were no Black members on the “Hollywood Foreign Press Association,” which votes on the awards.
Stars and studios boycotted the Globes, so NBC refused to air it in 2022. The association then added visible minority journalists to its ranks and instituted other reforms to address ethical concerns, and the gala returned in January 2023 as part of a one-year probationary deal with NBC. The network has not chosen to renew for 2024.
In June, billionaire Todd Boehly won approval to dissolve the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and reinvent the Golden Globes as a for-profit organization. The assets were acquired by a Boehly company as well as Dick Clark Productions, a group owned by Penske Media, whose assets also include Variety, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, Rolling Stone and Billboard.
The group that chooses finalists and votes on the awards is now more diverse, with more than 300 people from around the world.
The gala will be hosted this year by comedian Jo Koy, who has headlined several Netflix specials and starred in last year’s comedy film Easter Sunday.
The gala was often hosted by Ricky Gervais, whose jokes were particularly caustic, then by the duo composed of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Jerrod Carmichael was master of ceremonies last year.