Tina Fey and Amy Poehler Call Out Lack of Diversity in Their Golden Globes Monologue

The Golden Globes hosting veteran duo, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, brought attention to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s (HFPA) lack of diversity in their opening monologue for the award show.

Due to COVID-19 regulations, Fey and Poehler hosted bi-coastally, which is a first for the Golden Globes. The two hosts appeared on opposite coasts: Fey appearing at the Rainbow Room in New York City and Poehler hosting from the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. The award show aired on NBC.

The duo poked fun at a bi-coastal show’s awkwardness by performing a skit that featured Fey pretending to pet Poehler.

Early on in the monologue, Fey shouted out the “smoking hot” audience made up of COVID-19 first responders, frontline employees, and essential workers to honor their courage and sacrifice to provide care, support, and public service for their communities throughout the pandemic.

YES ANOTHER ICONIC MONOLOGUE BY TINA FEY AND AMY POEHLER TO THE RECORDS

— big michelle gomez business (@clarissekgay) March 1, 2021

Poehler acknowledged that it is typical for projects and stars to receive a surprising nomination, but this year’s choices led to a glaring oversight of Black talent and stories. “Look, a lot of flashy garbage got nominated, but that happens, okay? That’s like their thing, but a number of Black actors and Black-led projects were overlooked.”

After announcing that “award shows are stupid,” Fey parroted Poehler’s sentiment by saying, “even with stupid things, inclusivity is important.” When doing their rundown of the nominations, Fey further criticized the HFPA’s lack of diversity. The HFPA currently has zero Black journalists as members.

Amy Poehler and Tina Fey’s opening monologue in the #GoldenGlobes is everything lolz

— ADP (@sweeteranna) March 1, 2021

She said Soul resonated with the group because the film featured a Black man whose soul is transported into a cat, and “The HFPA really responded to this movie because they do have five cat members.” 

All individuals, including production workers, hosts, presenters, and audience members, followed COVID-19 guidelines set forth by the industry, federal, state, and local governments.

These two talented women did a fantastic job hosting, never failing to make us laugh out loud, but also highlighting the importance of inclusion. You can watch the full show here.