So Long, “Fiji Girl”: Golden Globes Signs New Water Partner for 2020 Show

Move over “Fiji Water Girl,” there’s a new H2O at the 2020 Golden Globes.

After model Kelleth Cuthbert (real name Kelly Steinbach) photobombing A-listers while holding a tray of Fiji water bottles on the red carpet exploded into a viral phenomenon at this year’s Golden Globes — much to the dismay of many, including Jamie Lee Curtis, who slammed it on Twitter as “blatant promotion” — the Hollywood Foreign Press Association has chosen to go in a different direction, with Icelandic Glacial announcing it will serve as the official water of the 77th Golden Globe ceremony on Jan. 5.

This marks the first partnership between the Globes and Icelandic Glacial, described as “naturally alkaline and sustainably sourced natural spring water.” As for Fiji, that situation can best be described as a debacle, one that led to lawsuits filed by Cuthbert against Fiji for unauthorized use of her likeness and a countersuit from Fiji claiming she was trying to extort close to half a million dollars from the company. That case is still pending. 

Related Stories

News

Mahfouz Doss, Former HFPA President, Dies at 97

News

Golden Globes: What to Expect From This Year's (Scaled-Back) Party Scene

Multiple sources close to the show insist that the “Fiji Water Girl” situation is the reason a new partnership was secured, though a rep for the HFPA tells The Hollywood Reporter that Fiji had a two-year contract with the organization that expired.

Continued the rep: “Icelandic Glacial has always been an environmentally conscious brand we’ve admired, and the philanthropic component of this partnership was very important to the HFPA when considering a new partner for this season.” As part of its new pact, Icelandic has announced it will donate water to a humanitarian cause of the HFPA’s choice. 

In announcing the news, Icelandic Glacial revealed that it will be available to guests upon arrival at the red carpet and inside, and it will throw water on any potential controversy by serving its product in glass bottles.

“We are proud to be an environmentally conscious partner of the Golden Globes,” said Icelandic Glacial’s chairman and co-founder Jon Olafsson, whose company will also provide water at official Globes events leading up to the big show. “We pride ourselves on our outstanding achievement of being the world’s first certified Carbon Neutral bottled water for the past 10 years, and look forward to sharing the purest tasting water on Earth with Hollywood’s finest.”

For HFPA’s part, president Lorenzo Soria said they’re “thrilled” with the new deal. “For over 25 years, the HFPA has been giving back to the community, and the world, committing over $37.5 million in grants to nonprofits and humanitarian organizations. We are thrilled that through this partnership, Icelandic Glacial will help us further our mission of doing good.”

The 77th Golden Globes air live Jan. 5 coast to coast, 5-8 p.m. PT and 8-11 p.m. ET, on NBC.