Tina Fey, Amy Poehler lampoon HFPA, life in lockdown in Golden Globes monologue

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler were thousands of miles apart Sunday night as they hosted the first-ever bicoastal Golden Globes ceremony, but they were still able to address the elephant in the room.

In a split-screen monologue — broadcast from the Rainbow Room in New York and the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills — the comedians took aim at the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn., the group that hands out the Golden Globe Awards, for its track record on diversity. A Times investigation found that none of the 87 members in the organization are Black. A number of acclaimed projects centered on Black stories, such as the HBO series “I May Destroy You,” failed to receive nominations.

Early in the monologue, Fey hinted at the controversy when she referred to the HFPA as an organization of “around 90 international, no Black journalists who attend movie junkets each year.”

After running through a list of this year’s nominees — including some particularly dubious picks — the hosts addressed the issue directly in the closing minutes of their opening act.

“Everybody is understandably upset at the HFPA and their choices,” said Poehler. “Look, a lot of flashy garbage got nominated. But that happens. That’s like their thing. But a number of Black actors and Black-led projects were overlooked.”

“We all know that awards shows are stupid,” Fey added. “The point is even with stupid things, inclusivity is important, and there are no Black members of the Hollywood Foreign Press. I realized, HFPA, maybe you guys didn’t get the memo because your workplace is the back booth of a French McDonald’s. You got to change that. So here’s to changing that.” (Three members of the HFPA later acknowledged the body's diversity failures onstage and pledged change.)

Poehler and Fey, who stood against nearly identical backdrops in a side-by-side shot, kicked off their set by making light of their extremely socially distant circumstances.