Jimmy Kimmel wants Jo Koy to get another shot at hosting the Golden Globes.
Koy was heavily criticized after his cringeworthy opening monologue and eyebrow-raising jokes about nominated celebs aired during the awards show in January. Kimmel, 56, argued that Koy, 52, will likely not make the same mistakes again if he’s given another chance.
“It’s a lot easier for me than it is for Jo Koy,” the late-night host told The Hollywood Reporter in an interview published on Monday, March 4, referencing his position in Hollywood compared to Koy’s.
Kimmel explained, “It’s like if a stranger walks up to you and goes, ‘Nice shirt, Tom Selleck.’ If it’s one of your friends, you don’t take offense to it, but if it’s somebody you don’t know, you might smack him one.”
He added that in his humble opinion, Koy could smooth things over if he’s granted a do-over.
“And not that I have any business programming the Golden Globes, but I think they should let Jo Koy host the show next year and give him a shot at doing it over,” said Kimmel. “It would be very smart. I think he learned all the lessons, and he’s a funny guy. I think it would be nice for everyone.”
During his opening monologue, Koy awkwardly made excuses as his jokes fell flat, noting that he had signed on to host just 10 days before. He took shots at many stars, including Taylor Swift and her attendance at NFL games to support boyfriend Travis Kelce.“The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL? At the Golden Globes, we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift. I swear,” he joked as the camera switched to Swift. “There’s just more to go to.”
Swift’s face made it clear she wasn’t a fan of the quip.
Koy also joked about Margot Robbie and Barbie, saying, “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 acting.”
Despite criticism of his hosting job, Melissa Rivers defended Koy, telling Us Weekly on January 9, “Anyone who knows these shows knows that the hosts prep for months and they have a team of writers. He only got hired 10 days ago.”
She added that the comedian was “unknown” to a lot of people in the audience, so they quickly decided, “they’re not going to laugh.”
“A lot of the material was, I wouldn’t say his strongest, but was strong enough that it should have gotten laughs and no one was insulted,” she concluded. “I just think the room decided they weren’t going to have fun.”
