The company behind the Golden Globes has expelled three voters for allegedly violating its code of conduct.
The Globes, which is owned by Dick Clark Productions, have removed Howaida Hamdy, Munawar Hosain and Aniko Navai from the group’s membership ranks following complaints about and investigations into their behavior, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
Hamdy, an Egyptian journalist and critic, became the subject of an internal investigation last month after she allegedly tweeted antisemitic messages in Arabic and also included similar sentiments in her reviews. The probe was launched after CAMERA, the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis, issued a report accusing Hamdy of the “glorification of terrorism” and “extremism.”
Hamdy was one of 21 journalists added to the organization’s voting body in 2021 in an effort to increase diversity among its membership after a Los Angeles Times exposé revealed that it counted zero Black people among its then 87 members.
Bangladeshi-born Hosain joined the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in 1993, while Hungarian-born Navai became a member in 1999.
Hamdy, Hosain and Navai had all transitioned to Golden Globe employees after Dick Clark Productions and Eldridge acquired all of the Golden Globes’ assets, rights and properties from the HFPA and turned the venture into a for-profit enterprise. (The Hollywood Reporter is owned by PME Holdings, LLC, a joint venture between Penske Media Corporation and Eldridge.)
As of Sunday, the official bio pages for all three members had been removed from the Golden Globes official website.
According to archived pages online, Hamdy began her journalism career in 1988, most recently serving as deputy editor-in-chief for Egyptian news publication Al-Akhbar. She also is a contributor to the London-based newspaper Al-Arab and the online media site Raseef 22. She relocated to Los Angeles in 2020.
Navai, also based in Los Angeles, began her career as a reporter/presenter for Radio Hungary. She also held jobs at ad agency BBDO and Voice of America before moving to L.A. to cover the entertainment industry. She also co-founded a PR agency in Budapest and headed a talent agency before moving back to L.A.
Hosain, also based in L.A., relocated to the U.S. in 1990, starting his journalism career working for the Bangladeshi entertainment publication Ananda Bichitra while also writing for the weekly magazine Weekly Bichitra. He also is a photographer, with his photos appearing in the likes of InStyle, People, Los Angeles Magazine, US Weekly and In Touch.
The Golden Globes Awards ceremony is set for Jan. 10, 2024. There is no broadcast partner attached as of yet.
Deadline was the first to report the news of the three expelled members.
