Wake County native Ariana DeBose wins Golden Globe for work in 'West Side Story'

Wake County native Ariana DeBose won the 2022 Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress.

DeBose played Anita in Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story," which is a remake of the 1961 award winning film adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim musical.

SEE ALSO | ABC11 catches up with Wake County native and 'West Side Story' star Ariana DeBose

This year's Golden Globe Awards, Hollywood's so-called biggest party of the year, which regularly drew 18 million television viewers, was reduced to a live-blog Sunday night for its 79th edition.

That's because the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), which is in charge of the awards, came under fire after a Los Angeles Times investigation revealed in February ethical lapses and a stunning lack of diversity - there was not a single Black journalist in the 87-person group. Studios and PR firms threatened to boycott. Tom Cruise even returned his three Golden Globes, while other A-listers condemned the group on social media.

Still after the announcement that she had won the award, DeBose took to social media commenting both on the problems with the HFPA and accepting the recognition of the hard work that went into the film.

Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story" also won best picture comedy or musical and best actress for Rachel Zegler.

"West Side Story" is from 20th Century Studios, which is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC11.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.