© Provided by NBC News Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, stationed on opposite sides of the country, kicked off the 78th Golden Globes on Sunday with one-liners about the unusual format of the pandemic-era telecast and the renewed scrutiny on the organization behind the show.
"Normally, this room is full of celebrities, but tonight our audience on both coasts is made up of smoking-hot first responders and essential workers," Fey said from the Rainbow Room in New York. "We are so grateful for the work that you do and that you're here, so that the celebrities can stay safely at home."
The coronavirus crisis forced the producers of the Golden Globes to put on a largely virtual telecast, with nominees beamed in from their homes and hotel rooms. Poehler, speaking to a small audience at the Beverly Hilton in California, jokingly recalled that the ceremony is typically a free-wheeling, champagne-soaked party.
The co-hosts, featured on a split screen, also nodded to the recent criticism of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the small organization of international journalists that votes on nominees and winners - namely the fact that the group does not have a single Black member.
"The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is made up of around 90 international, no-Black journalists who attend movie junkets each year in search of a better life," Fey said. "We say around 90 because a couple of them might be ghosts and it's rumored that the German member is just a sausage that somebody drew a little face on."
In the first 30 minutes of the show, three members of the group appeared on stage and pledged to diversify their ranks.
"We recognize we have our own work to do. Just like in film and television, Black representation is vital. We must have Black journalists in our organization," said HFPA Vice President Helen Hoehne.
Meher Tatna, chairman of the board, added: "We must also ensure everyone from all underrepresented communities gets a seat at our table, and we are going to make that happen."
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