Black Golden Globes Nominees For 2022

Source: Robin L Marshall/WireImage/ David Livingstone / Getty

As many of you know, the Golden Globes has been the subject of controversy ever since the Los Angeles Times reported on the fact that the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn., the group of international journalists who decide the nominees and award winners, includes not a single Black person.

That’s right, whose ever job it is to appoint people to the HFPA scoured the entire world for members, found 87 journalists for the job, but didn’t include one melanin-rich person who claps on the two and four naturally and seasons their food with the ancestors looking over their shoulder—not one. 

But despite having zero regular leg-washers and raisin-less potato salad makers represented in the decision-making process, the Golden Globes managed to sprinkle a good bit of Blackness among its nominees for 2022—likely because officials got tired of Black Twitter clowning the event for being whiter than the whitest whites of Melanin-nope-topia.

Among the Black nominees are the iconic Denzel Washington, nominated for “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama” for his performance in Macbeth. Mahershala Ali was nominated for the same award for his role in Swan Song. Issa Rae and Tracee Ellis Ross were nominated for “Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy Series” for their roles in Insecure and Black-ish respectively. Anthony Anderson was also nominated for “Best Television Actor, Musical or Comedy Series” for Black-ish, and director Barry Jenkins earned a nomination for  “Best Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television” for The Underground Railroad.

But it was King Richard, the film that told the story of Richard Williams and his determination to make Venus and Serena household names, that made it rain (or at least drizzle) Black nominations for the coveted awards.

For this glorious film, Will Smith, the movie’s star, was nominated for “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama,” actress Aunjanue Ellis got a well-earned nod for “Best Supporting Actress and Beyoncé’s song for the soundtrack, “Be Alive,” is up for “Best Original Song.”

Of course, fans of the Electric-Sliding-at-literally-any-event variety couldn’t help but notice at least one name was missing among Black people who deserve their award nominee flowers—Jennifer Hudson.

Nah, but seriously, what you meeeeeean the Gloden Globes failed to put some “Respect” on J-Hud’s name for her portrayal of Aretha Franklin?

Welp, I guess slow progress is better than no progress. But do better and Blacker in 2023, please.