It’s a new year, so let’s hope — after a year ridden with sexual misconduct scandals — that Hollywood is turning a new leaf.
But progress doesn’t happen without acknowledging the past, and that’s exactly what host Seth Meyers and attendees of Sunday night’s upcoming Golden Globes plan to do.
In an interview with the New York Times, Meyers — a comedian and the host of NBC’s “Late Night” show — said he would not shy away from last year’s controversies. And actresses attending the awards ceremony are planning to wear black as part of the Time’s Up movement’s protest against sexual harassment and assault.
Read more: Here’s How Actresses Are Protesting Hollywood Sexual Harassment at the Golden Globes
“It’s safe to say Hollywood has been tipped on its side,” Meyers told the New York Times, referring to the wave of sexual assault allegations that came to light after the New York Times and the New Yorker revealed decades-worth of allegations of sexual misconduct by famed producer Harvey Weinstein last October.
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Over the following three months, more than 50 powerful men — many in the entertainment industry — were accused of sexual misconduct. “We’re in this situation right now where some people, very clearly, crossed a line and making fun of those people should feel like a positive thing,” he said.
But Meyers doesn’t want to put a damper on the entire Golden Globes ceremony, typically a light-hearted affair.
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“When you’re dealing with something that has affected so many people in a negative way, you just want to make sure you can talk about it in a way that doesn’t magnify the negative element of it,” the former "Saturday Night Live" cast member said.
Both Meyers and the women of Hollywood hope to use the night to raise awareness and mark change.
Time’s Up is also urging women walking the red carpet at the Golden Globes to speak out and raise awareness by wearing black https://t.co/YEkRyttRiSpic.twitter.com/niYkGuYbUi
— The New York Times (@nytimes) January 1, 2018
Actress Reese Witherspoon, who is a supporter of the Time’s Up movement, explained that the plan to wear black at the ceremony is “a show of solidarity” but just “one very small piece” of a much bigger statement. “It really is a statement that women are deeply unified, we always have been, and that we stand up for those who can’t speak up,” she said.
Witherspoon also worked with designer Arianne Phillips to create a “Time’s Up” pin for presenters and nominees to wear during the show, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Read more: Over 300 Women in Entertainment Say ‘Time’s Up’ on Sexual Harassment
As of Thursday, Meyers and his writing team hadn’t finalized their script for the awards show yet. But two of his writers, Amber Ruffin and Jenny Hagel, told the New York Times they were looking forward to being able to name offenders and to freely write and joke about the previously taboo issue within their industry, at last.
“These are the same jokes me and Jenny would tell to each other in the bathroom, only now we don’t have to whisper,” Ruffin said. Her statement echoed the sentiment of so many women who have finally felt able to say “me, too” and speak out about their sexual harassment and assault experiences.
“It seems like this moment should be a moment of optimism,” Meyers said. “And I think that’s what we’re trying to address. This might be the beginning of something better.”