Most of Jo Koy’s jokes at the recent Golden Globes appeared to fall flat, with the comedian receiving criticism for his jokes about the Barbie movie and Taylor Swift
Comedian Jo Koy has addressed the backlash he received when he hosted the recent 81st Golden Globe Awards on Sunday evening. Appearing on the US talk show Good Morning America, Koy acknowledged that “it was a tough room” but ultimately, he “had fun”.
“It was a hard job, I’m not going to lie. I’d be lying if (I said the backlash) doesn’t hurt. I hit a moment there where I was like ‘Ah’.
“Hosting is just a tough gig. Yes, I’m a stand-up comic but that hosting position is a different style. I kind of went in and did the writer’s thing. We had 10 days to write this monologue. It was a crash course. I feel bad, but I got to still say I loved what I did.”
The 52-year-old’s stint as host was marred by jokes that appeared to fall flat, including one where he poked fun at the Barbie movie.
“Oppenheimer is based on a 721-page Pulitzer Prize-winning book about the Manhattan Project and Barbie is on a plastic doll with big boobies. The key moment in Barbie is when she goes from perfect beauty to bad breath, cellulite and flat feet. Or what casting directors call character actor!”
The joke was met with a muted reaction from the crowd and unimpressed faces from the cast of Barbie.
Another joke that drew vitriol from the online community was one levied against Taylor Swift.
“As you know, we came on after a football doubleheader. The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL? On the Golden Globes, we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift, I swear.”
The camera then panned to an expressionless Swift who proceeded to sip her drink.
During the Golden Globes ceremony, Koy addressed the muted response he had been receiving and blamed it on the writing team.
“Some (jokes) I wrote, some other people wrote. Yo, I got the gig ten days ago! You want a perfect monologue? Shut up! You’re kidding me, right? I wrote some of these, and they’re the ones you’re laughing at.”
In the interview with Good Morning America, Koy admitted that the Taylor Swift joke “fell a little flat”.
“It was a weird joke, I guess. But it was more on the NFL. I was trying to make fun of the NFL using cutaways and how the Globes didn’t have to do that. So it was more of a jab toward the NFL. But it just didn’t come out that way.”
When asked if he wanted to host again, Koy appeared hesitant, saying that he “had an off night” and admitted that he was deflated.
“I wanted to give a little bit more of me and I just fell a little short. That’s all.”
