The Golden Globes are one of the most viewed awards shows around the world, only behind the Oscars and the Academy Awards. They regularly bring in millions of views on NBC, as people watch the broadcasted awards ceremony held at the Beverly Hilton hotel. This year, however, the golden globe awards were broadcasted in a much less formal manner–on Twitter.

Growing concerns over omicron have been affecting the 2022 awards season, with the Oscars being postponed indefinitely and many other groups having cancelled their events in January and February. Likewise, the Golden Globes, hosted on Sunday, Jan. 9, was a much smaller affair this year.

Rather than hosting a full awards show, the event consisted of the results being read to a ballroom at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Los Angeles, and then being put on twitter in real time. There was no red carpet or reception, and there were no celebrities invited. In fact, the ceremony was not televised at all. 

This is partially because of health concerns and the quickly rising number of covid cases. However, the main reason is likely the recent scandal concerning the Golden Globes in 2021. 

Last year, the Los Angeles Times reported that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the 87-person group of international journalists who decide the nominees and winners of the Golden Globes, had no black members. They also reported that the group had permitted their members to engage in questionable ethical practices, like reselling tickets they had received or objecting the admittance of qualified new members to the board on the grounds that they were a threat to their spot within the association. 

In light of the controversy, NBC dropped the show and stated that they would no longer be broadcasting the Golden Globes. Even after the HFPA put reforms into place and inducted 21 new members, NBC still stands by their decision.

Likewise, many celebrities have refused to acknowledge their awards both this year and last year. 

Despite this, there were many landmark wins in this year’s awards. Michaela Jaé Rodriguez won best lead actress in a drama series for her work in Pose and became the first trans woman to win a Globe. Squid Game star O Yeong-su also took home a Globe for best supporting actor and became the first South Korean actor to win a Globe. 

However, these wins are not enough to offset the quickly dropping viewership and credibility of not only the Golden Globes, but many other awards shows. The unfortunate timing of the HFPA scandal combined with the pandemic may have driven the Golden Globes to their untelevised and mostly unacknowledged show this year, but the future success or potential bounce-back of the ceremony remains uncertain.