09. He’s Just Koy
A comedian with 30 years of experience and his old-school jokes walk into the Golden Globes.
In case you missed it, Golden Globes host Jo Koy shared jokes at the Golden Globes that were flops. I’ve watched highlights from some of the many comedy specials Koy has to his name, he is undoubtedly funny. However, those were filmed in rooms of people who have paid to see him and are entering knowing that his humor is to their taste. For this gig, they were broadcast nationally (internationally in this age of internet virality) and presented live to a room full of highly talented film industry professionals.
Koy’s Golden Globes monologue begins with talking about watching Oppenheimer, joking about the long duration and how it answered a question he’s had for years; “yes, scientists do get laid”. Koy then moved to a joke at the expense of the Barbie movie, calling it a movie about “a plastic doll with big boobies”. Koy quickly moves on to a joke about being attracted to Ryan Gosling with “and Margot, it’s not always about you.” Noting, this is only three and a half minutes into his opening monologue, and Margot Robbie with her production company Lucky Chap, made the Barbie movie the loveable and colossal successful film it is.
Instead of swallowing his pride and continuing after jokes fell on deaf ears, Koy remarked, “Some [jokes] I wrote, some other people wrote.” as if to blame the writers he worked with for the poorly received jokes. Koy even raised his voice to say, “Yo, I got the gig ten days ago. You want a perfect monologue? Yo, shut up, you’re kidding me right? I wrote some of these, and they’re the ones you’re laughing at”. To answer his question, the audience isn’t asking for perfect. They are simply asking for more from a comedian with decades of experience.
The content of the jokes was sometimes sexual, political, and awkward. I understand the award shows possibly select hosts likely to make controversial statements to boost engagement. However, it’s disappointing when arguably the biggest film of 2023 is whittled down to a pair of plastic boobies. After her mammoth year in 2023, Taylor Swift received a Golden Globe nomination for her Era’s Tour film. Koy’s mention of Swift was just a reference to her boyfriend, despite years of Swift fighting for recognition of her talent to be separate from her personal life. Swift’s understated reaction to the joke received backlash, reinforcing a quote from Swift in past years, “men can react, women can only overreact.”
Aside from the sexist content of Koy’s jokes, it is fair to expect more composure from someone with vast industry experience. These jokes weren’t going to land in 2024, let alone after a massive year for women in the entertainment industry and women empowerment globally. Aside from the feminist point of view, this piece highlights the unfortunate and unprofessional performance of Jo Koy. It’s no Chris Rock and Will Smith slap, but it’s not much better.
