Jo Koy’s monologue draws divided response in Golden Globes debut
By Ryan General
Comedian Jo Koy’s debut as the host of the Golden Globes drew a divided response from the star-studded audience.
Golden Globes hosting debut: The Filipino American comedian, whose real name is Joseph Glenn Herbert Sr., accepted the 81st Golden Globe Awards hosting gig just two weeks before the ceremony was held on Jan. 7 at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California. Some of the Globes’ live audience, which included Hollywood celebrities, at times appeared less than impressed with Koy’s material, judging by the audible groans and boos that met some of his jokes.
The jokes: Among the attempts at humor that failed to land with the audience included Koy’s jab at the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon.
“Oppenheimer and Barbie are competing for cinematic box office achievement. Oppenheimer is based on a 724-page Pulitzer Prize-winning book about the Manhattan Project, and Barbie is based 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 comments drew tepid reactions from the audience, with the cameras capturing seemingly unamused reactions from Ryan Gosling, Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig. Koy’s joke about “Oppenheimer” being too long also appeared to fail to resonate with its stars Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr.
Koy scored laughs, however, with his joke about Barry Keoghan’s nude dancing scene in “Saltburn.” “Where’s Barry Keoghan seated? Oh right there. Where is your penis seated? Down front? That was the real star of the show,” he quipped.
On Taylor Swift: The most awkward part of the monologue came when Koy quipped about the frequent NFL camera cuts to singer Taylor Swift when she attends her boyfriend Travis Kelce‘s games. Swift’s lack of reaction and continued sipping of her drink highlighted the evening’s uncomfortable atmosphere.
“We came on after a football doubleheader,” Koy said. “The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL… On the Golden Globes, we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift.”
Not his jokes: At one point during his delivery, Koy addressed the audience’s lukewarm response by shifting the blame to the purported writers of the jokes.
“Some [jokes] I wrote, some other people wrote,” he said. “Yo, I got the gig 10 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.”
Netizens took to social media to express their disappointment through memes and criticisms, with many holding the comedian accountable for both the jokes and his public comments about his writers.
A “new” Golden Globes: The 81st Golden Globe Awards marked a significant shift as Dick Clark Productions and Eldridge Industries assumed full control from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, reported Variety. This change followed the disbandment of the organization in 2023. A total of 310 journalists from 76 countries, reflecting a new and more diverse group of voters, were responsible for selecting the 2023 nominees and winners.
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