Golden Globes Producer Jesse Collins on How 2023 Awards Show Will Address HFPA Controversy (Exclusive)

The 2023 nominees were announced on Monday.

The Golden Globes are looking ahead to the future. ET's Kevin Frazier spoke with Jesse Collins, the show's executive producer, who revealed how the 2023 ceremony will address the Hollywood Foreign Press Association controversy that led to the 2022 awards being untelevised.

"I think in a way people will get that," Collins told ET of acknowledging last year's situation, "but we'll also celebrate that past in the sense that it is the 80th Globes. I think we will manage to do it all."

As for how the Globes hopes to change in the wake of the nomination process and membership controversy, Collins said, "I think it's about acknowledging the work that's been done, [and] acknowledging that more work needs to be done."

More than anything, though, the 2023 show will be about "celebrating the people who did incredible work this year."

"They deserve their flowers," Collins said. "That, to me, is job one."

Given that, Collins said the 2023 is "coming in hot" with "a feeling of celebration."

"We really want to focus on celebrating our incredible nominees," he said. "We want to have a sense of community. We want to test the limits of how much champagne you can drink on network television and just generally have fun."

Those nominees were announced Monday, and raised questions about who will step out for the ceremony. While Top Gun: Maverick got a nod, its star, Tom Cruise, who previously returned his statuettes, did not.

"I don't know what the conversations between HFPA and Tom have been. I sincerely hope that he attends, the film is nominated. It would be just amazing to have him in the building," Collins said. "He's had an incredible year. Top Gun is one of my favorite movies of all time, the first one and the new one, and to have him in the building would just be perfect."

Also not earning a nomination was Will Smith for Emancipation, though Collins was unsure if the actor's Oscar slap was to blame. 

"I wasn't one of the voters. I thought he did an amazing job in the film. I'm not sure how that one got through or how he didn't catch one, like I said, I'm not part of the voting process," he said. "... I think he had an incredible performance. I saw the film this weekend."

Ticket to Paradise starring Julia Roberts and George Clooney also didn't land nominations, though the actress did get a nod for her role in the limited series Gaslit.

"You get the cards you're dealt and you play the hand as best you could play it," Collins said of Ticket to Paradise's snub. "I know that Julia Roberts did catch a nomination, so hopefully she'll be in attendance."

On the TV side, it was a happy day for White Lotus, whose cast Collins "would love" to have in attendance, and Quinta Brunson's Abbott Elementary, which he's "so glad" to see recognized.

"Now that nominations are out, I feel like those confirmations are gonna start locking in," Collins said of what stars will be on hand. "It's always the same thing of waiting to see what the story of the show is gonna be, but seems like it's been a positive response, overwhelming response, to what was announced this morning, so we feel really good about the bookings."

Those bookings may also include some of the biggest names in music, as Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and Rihanna are among the Best Original Song nominees. 

"This is what we love, when the nominations help you write the story," Collins said. "... With these shows like the Golden Globes, you really can't do anything until the noms come out, so listen, we would love to figure something out in that category."

Leading the ceremony will be host Jerrod Carmichael, from which Collins is anticipating great things.

"We should expect someone hosting through a different lens. His point of view is so different than everyone else's. It is going to be funny. It's going to be poignant. It's going to be celebratory. It is going to be a fashion extravaganza. It's everything that we need now," Collins teased. "... It is definitely unfiltered, so I think everybody should tune in. In our creative conversations thus far, I can just tell that it's not just about a monologue. He has an approach that he wants to bring to this job, and I think we're going to feel that for the entire show."

The host isn't the only thing that'll be different in 2023.

"The show will have a whole new look. It will feel like a very immersive experience. We want everybody to feel like it's fresh and new the minute you walk in the door," he said. "We'll have a different way of how we're doing the awards... It will definitely feel like a very different Golden Globes. It will feel new. It will feel fresh."

The 80th annual Golden Globe Awards will air Jan. 10 on NBC and Peacock.

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