The Hollywood Foreign Press Association said on Tuesday that it had expelled its former president Phil Berk from its membership lists.
“Immediately, Phil Berk is no longer a member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association,” the HFPA board said in a statement just released.
NBC and the parent company of the Golden Globe producers have both already weighed in today on the latest embarrassing incident involving HFPA. This refers to the bizarre e-mail from Berk, a longtime member and former president, to Sunday’s accession, referring to the Black Lives Matters as a “racist hate movement”. The email has been leaked to Los Angeles Times.
HFPA, already embroiled in controversy amid revelations during the latest Golden Globe cycle that it has not had a 20-year-old black member, distanced itself from Berk’s e-mail on Monday.
“Since its inception, HFPA has been dedicated to connecting cultural connections and creating an additional understanding of different media through film and television,” he said. ‘The views expressed in the article circulated by Mr Berk are those of the author of the article and do not reflect – in any form or form – the views and values of the HFPA. HFPA condemns all forms of racism, discrimination and hate speech and considers this language and content to be unacceptable. ”
The group has already said it will unveil plans to address its issues on May 6.
A longtime member of the HFPA, Berk, born in South Africa, has served eight terms as chairman of the group, based in Los Angeles and working for entertainment publications in Malaysia and South Africa.