Gregory Goeckner has been fired as CEO of the Golden Globe Foundation in a vote from the foundation’s board, the foundation told TheWrap on Friday.
Goeckner and the Golden Globes Foundation are both being sued by remaining members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for what the lawsuit describes as efforts to dismantle the HFPA, acquire the Golden Globe Awards and consolidate power across the awards and entertainment business in Hollywood. Jay Penske and the Penske Media Corporation are also named as defendants in the suit. Eldridge Industries owner Todd Boehly is frequently mentioned in the suit, but is not listed as a defendant.
Goeckner was a longtime counsel and COO for the HFPA before becoming a key figure in the 2022 revamping of the Golden Globes. The overhaul took place in the wake of a 2022 boycott launched by Hollywood PR firms to protest the organization’s absence of any Black voters and history of ethically dubious dealings with talent, studios and networks.
According to a report from Page Six Hollywood’s Tatiana Siegel, the move to oust Goeckner was spearheaded by foundation board members Silvia Bizio and Raffi Boghosian, both members of the HFPA. Boghosian confirmed to TheWrap that he is the newly elected president of the Golden Globe Foundation.
On Saturday, the Golden Globe Foundation released a statement disputing the characterization of the move in the Page Six Hollywood report.
“The recent transition in the Foundation’s leadership was conducted in full accordance with its governance documents, applicable law, and proper corporate governance procedures,” the statement read, in part. “The installation of new leadership followed a lawful vote of the Members and of the Board of Directors and reflects the Board’s exercise of its fiduciary duties. Any suggestion that the transition constituted a ‘coup’ is inaccurate and does not reflect the deliberative, good-faith process that took place. Much less, the description of ‘sycophants’, or similar derogatory statements referred to the Board members, has no place within a healthy journalistic debate, and the GGF will pursue all defamatory comments to the fullest extent of the law. Finally, it is factually incorrect that the GGF fired all its law firms and its auditing company, and the GGF looks forward to a prompt rectification of that statement.”
The statement also encourages “a full and transparent review” of the Golden Globes purchase transaction. Although the Golden Globe Foundation is a defendant in the lawsuit filed by the HFPA, the statement and the move to oust Goeckner squarely place the foundation’s current leadership in the camp of the plaintiffs.
Of the nine foundation board members, seven were members of the HFPA before the Penske/Boehly takeover.
The Golden Globe Awards was formerly a non-profit enterprise of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which gave out annual grants with some of the money earned by the Globes. When Penske Media and Eldridge Industries took over the show in the wake of the boycott, it essentially dissolved the HFPA, removed many of its members and turned the Globes into a for-profit venture.
The charitable arm of the old organization shifted to the new Golden Globe Foundation, and Goeckner was appointed CEO of that foundation.
Last year, HFPA members voted to formally reactivate and audit Penske and Boehly’s acquisition. Their subsequent lawsuit singles out Goeckner, who it alleges surreptitiously transferred $4 million from HFPA accounts to the Foundation in an attempt to push the HFPA to dissolve.
Here is the full Golden Globe Foundation statement:
The Golden Globes Foundation (“GGF”) is aware of recent media reports regarding changes to its leadership and governance. The GGF offers the following statement in response:
The GGF is not in a position to comment on the specifics of any personnel matter, including the circumstances surrounding the departure of any individual officer or director. Such matters involve confidential internal governance proceedings, and the GGF will respect the privacy and legal interests of all parties involved.
The GGF wishes to address certain characterizations that have appeared in recent press coverage. The recent transition in the Foundation’s leadership was conducted in full accordance with its governance documents, applicable law, and proper corporate governance procedures. The installation of new leadership followed a lawful vote of the Members and of the Board of Directors and reflects the Board’s exercise of its fiduciary duties. Any suggestion that the transition constituted a “coup” is inaccurate and does not reflect the deliberative, good-faith process that took place. Much less, the description of “sycophants”, or similar derogatory statements referred to the Board members, has no place within a healthy journalistic debate, and the GGF will pursue all defamatory comments to the fullest extent of the law. Finally, it is factually incorrect that the GGF fired all its law firms and its auditing company, and the GGF looks forward to a prompt rectification of that statement.
What the new Board will pursue is accountability. The GGF has hired a global auditing firm to carry out a full audit of what has transpired at the Foundation since its inception. The recent federal lawsuit raises real questions about how the 2023 purchase transaction was structured and those questions deserve a full and transparent review. We intend to cooperate fully with that process and welcome the scrutiny it brings.
The newly constituted Board remains firmly committed to the mission and charitable purposes for which the Golden Globe Foundation was established. The Foundation’s overriding priority continues to be the responsible stewardship of its charitable assets and the advancement of its grantmaking activities in service of the arts, education, and cultural activities. The Board intends to carry forward and strengthen the longstanding tradition of philanthropic engagement that has defined the Golden Globes’ charitable legacy and not “to reconstitute the Hollywood Foreign Press under the auspices of the foundation.”
The GGF looks forward to continuing its important work and thanks its partners, grantees, and the broader community for their continued support.
