Jo Koy’s Backlash at Golden Globes

Stand-up comedian and actor, Jo Koy, was the host of the 81st Annual Golden Globe Awards held on January 7, 2024. Although the host’s monologue is usually meant to be lighthearted and fun, his was met with mixed reactions from the audience and angered viewers. Many felt his jokes were inappropriate and misogynistic as he downplayed women in the industry. A standout example that many pointed to was when he said:

 “Oppenheimer is based on a 721-page Pulitzer Prize-winning book about the Manhattan Project, and Barbie is 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,” said Koy. 

Barbie was nominated for Best Feature Film at the Globes. To many, the movie is a testament to the progress women have made in Hollywood. The film showed the misogyny and sexism that women face, so many were angered when Koy sexualized the idea. Although Oppenheimer was based on a real story about the Manhattan Project, Barbie created an impact on many as it shed light on the misogyny and unfair standards set for women. The movie paved the way for hard and raw conversations. Koy continued these jokes throughout his monologue as the night went on.

“The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL? On the Golden Globes, we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift,” Koy said, as an unamused Swift sipped her drink.

Singer and songwriter, Taylor Swift, recently started dating football player Travis Kelce. She was seen numerous times attending and cheering him on at his games. The NFL, therefore, displayed on the screen numerous times during the games. Many felt the joke was “unnecessarily rude.” 

Koy reacted to his backlash on numerous accounts. He responded to his backlash by saying he had an “off-night.”

“We had just ten days to write something for this monologue. It was a crash course. I feel bad, but I gotta say I still loved what I did, ” Koy claimed.

However many were still angered at his misogyny and sexism as they felt he did not truly feel bad about his jokes. Although, the blame also goes to the people who reviewed and allowed the speech to happen. We are still in a world where belittling women and sexism are still being allowed and laughed at.