Jo Koy Sparks Fresh Backlash

Still defending his poorly received opening monologue at the 81st Golden Globes, comedian Jo Koy sparked fresh backlash.

Koy, who was hosting the Hollywood awards ceremony for the first time, was panned by many who were watching the show at home on January 7. Many of his jokes fell flat with the live audience of celebrities and nominees in attendance, and the comedian appeared to leave Taylor Swift particularly unimpressed when he cracked a joke about her romance with NFL star Travis Kelce.

"The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL? At the Golden Globes, we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift," Koy said on the stage, in reference to the incessant coverage of the singer's presence at games. When the camera cut to Swift, she looked stone-faced while taking a sip of her drink.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times published on January 11, the 52-year-old said he's been surprised by the negative reactions this joke received. Newsweek reached out to a representative for Koy via email for comment Friday.

Defending what he said, Koy thought it was obvious that he was directing his joke at the NFL, not Swift.

"But the whole intention of that joke was to make fun of the NFL," he said. "What hurts the most is me just supporting Taylor, I support her, I love her work. I got nieces that I bought tickets for. There's no ill intent in that joke. The joke is about the NFL and how they keep using cutaways to [her]," he said.

Koy added: "I'm not saying anything that no one's saying, and it's obvious what that joke was."

However, his explanation isn't going down well with people online. When E News shared an excerpt of the interview to its Instagram account, people took to the comments to explain why they weren't impressed with the joke.

"Taylor didn't laugh at an unfunny joke—nobody needs to hear any other explanation," one person wrote.

"I think she, like the rest of us, was just tired of that particular line. She goes to the games to support her partner just like anybody would. She just happens to be one of the most famous people in the world! Not her fault how much they show her," said another.

"The way Taylor hasn't said anything, all she did was sip her drink and people are still freaking out," a third person commented.

A fourth added: "If you have to keep clarifying the 'joke' almost a week later.... It wasn't a joke. Just stop dude."

Elsewhere during the Golden Globes, Selena Gomez was seen bowing her head during Koy's jokes about Barbie, which was the highest-grossing film of 2023 and also won the Golden Globe for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement.

In comparing Barbie to fellow nominee Oppenheimer, Koy said: "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."

Koy also joked that the "key moment" in Barbie was when the famous doll experienced "bad breath, cellulite, and flat feet, or what casting directors call 'character actor.'" The joke has been criticized by some for being reductive or sexist, with many saying Koy may have missed the point of the film.

The comedian once again used his interview in the Los Angeles Times to explain why he was shocked by people's negative reactions to what he said.

"If you've ever seen me, you'll see just how much I praise and shine light on women, from my ex-wife to my mom. My whole goal is to try and change that type of narrative and just that look of being part of a divorced family. I'm telling a joke — what happened to society where we can't even joke with each other anymore," he said.

This explanation isn't going down well with people online either, with people taking to X, formerly Twitter, to share their thoughts.

"Hey, remember Jo Koy from the Golden Globes? Well, he's back to remind you he sucks," one person said.

"'From my ex-wife to my mom.' That's not 'women' that's family and of course you're gonna treat THEM well but that's the MINIMUM, you don't get a Nobel Peace Prize for that," another X user wrote.

"Every time he speaks, he further embarasses [sic] himself. People didn't like the joke and have generally already moved on because his performance was so bad it's not even worth the attention. To harp back on it so fast and try to spin this manufactured narrative comes off as pathetic," someone else commented.

A fourth said alongside a skull emoji: "Started naming all the women he could think of."

Despite the negative reaction Koy has received, when Barbie director Greta Gerwig appeared on BBC Radio 4's Today on January 10, she said his take is "not wrong."

"She's the first doll that was mass-produced with breasts, so he was right on," the filmmaker said. "And you know, I think that so much of the project, of the movie was unlikely because it is about a plastic doll."