Jo Koy‘s hosting debut at the Golden Globes left a lot to be desired.
The comedian, 52, took the stage on Sunday, January 7, after a lengthy search for a host. Koy followed in the footsteps of other comedians including Jerrod Carmichael, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Ricky Gervais and Andy Samberg.
“I’ve stepped onto a lot of stages around the world in my career, but this one is going to be extra special. I’m so excited to be hosting the Golden Globes this year,” Koy said in a press release in December 2023. “This is that moment where I get to make my Filipino family proud. Mahal Kita (Google it)!”
Koy’s comedic approach, however, didn’t land well with the guests at the show or the audience watching at home. He started out with an awkward monologue that featured digs at Barbie, nominee Robert De Niro‘s personal life, Barry Keoghan‘s NSFW scene from Saltburn and more.
While Koy attempted to lean into the lackluster response, he quickly became a major topic of conversation on social media.
“I feel like nobody was in charge of the golden globes and Jo Koy just walked in and said ‘I’m hosting’ and nobody bothered to check if that was right,” joked one viewer via X (formerly Twitter).
Meanwhile, another person suggested there were no positive highlights from Koy’s time on stage, writing, “50 minutes in and Jo Koy has already: Threw his writers under the bus, Made 76 offensive jokes, Endlessly complained the audience isn’t digging his jokes, Made everyone in the world hate him, Made everyone grateful for Jerrod Carmichael from last year.”
Keeping scrolling for the Koy moments that still have Us reeling:
His Monologue Leads to Secondhand Embarrassment
Some would say that the opening of an awards show sets the mood for the rest of the night. If that is true, Koy picked an odd note to start off with after his monologue left most people speechless — and not in a good way.
Among his most memorable offenses seemed to be his jokes about Barbie. “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,” he said.
Koy took another hit at the movie when describing the plot, saying, “Oppenheimer is based on a 721 page Pulitzer Prize winning book about the Manhattan Project and Barbie is based on a plastic doll with big boobs.”
Viewers pointed out that Koy’s comment completely proved the messaging behind Barbie. “The awkward silence at Jo Koy’s Barbie jokes… He told smart jokes about the other nominees and all he had about Barbie was ‘big boobs,'” wrote one social media user.
Throughout the intro, celebrities such as Selena Gomez, Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren, Emma Stone and more appeared less than thrilled by Koy’s delivery.
The Taylor Swift Dig
As if the reaction to his monologue wasn’t bad enough, Koy took the opportunity after a commercial break to come for Swift’s love life with a joke that some viewers think was cut from the monologue because Swift wasn’t in her seat yet.
“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 said as the camera switched to Swift. “There’s just more to go to.”
From the audience, the singer, 34, took a sip from her drink while making a face that confirmed she was far from impressed.
Making Excuses
The Golden Globes came mere months after the dual WGA and SAG strikes came to an end. As a result, many viewers were less than thrilled when Koy decided to point the finger at writers after his jokes bombed.
“I got the gig 10 days ago! You want a perfect monologue? Yo, shut up. You’re kidding me, right? Slow down,” he told the audience. “I wrote some of these, and they’re the ones you’re laughing at.”
In response, many people took to social media to voice their frustration with one person adding via X, “The biggest lowlight of the night has to be Jo Koy, coming fresh off the monumental WGA strike, disgracefully throwing his writers under the bus.”
Disappearing Act
As the awards show continued, eagle-eyed fans were quick to question why the actors presenting the awards had all of the screen time.
“Have any of the rest of y’all noticed how Jo Koy’s completely disappeared from the Golden Globes for like the past hour,” wrote a social media user after Koy was notably missing for most of the second half of the Golden Globes.
Other viewers were more impressed by skits done by presenters such as Kristin Wiig and Will Ferrell.
The trio presenting the award for best screenplay — Daniel Kaluuya, Hailee Steinfeld and Shameik Moore — also received major praise for keeping the mood light and funny.
For many viewers, the celebrities attending the awards show brought more humor to the table than the host. That wasn’t everyone’s opinion though, with some people showing their support for Koy’s ability to piece together a variety of jokes in a little over a week.
“It was funny. Lighten up Hollywood,” wrote a fan in response to Us Weekly’s coverage of Koy’s digs throughout the awards show.
