ITNTW – WOMEN CAN’T TAKE A JOKE? Why Jo Koy got it so wrong in his Golden Globes monologue
Awards season is well and truly underway, with the 81st Golden Globes taking place earlier this week. Audiences around the world got ready to watch on as the achievements of the best actors, writers and directors from the past year were celebrated.
As always the evening began with the glamour of the red carpet, it was the season of sparkles, with crowd favourites Taylor Swift, Margot Robbie, Natalie Portman and Emma Stone all pursuing the trend in floor length gowns.
But that was where the festivities seemed to end. As the ceremony began and host Jo Koy took to the stage the audience was left speechless, and not in a good way.
From sexist punchlines, to jokes that were just almost too cringe-worthy to keep watching, I think it’s safe to say that Koy won’t be getting a call for an encore in 2025.
But the problem with Koy’s monologue was so much more than just a few bad jokes. It proved that even after such a triumphal year for women in arts and media, these successes are still underappreciated and turned into ignorant jokes by a man on the global stage.
The Barbie Movie was hugely successful upon its release last year, contributing to the revival of cinema culture as seas of pink headed to watch the film. The box-office hit was embedded with strong messages about what it means to be a woman in today’s society. Fans and critics alike were left in awe at Director Greta Gerwig’s meticulous ability to turn a beloved toy into a story of purpose and girlhood.
It was this revolutionary form of film by Gerwig that is exactly why Koy’s performance at Globes was such a disappointment.
When commenting on the popular ‘Barbie-heimer’ trend Koy exclaimed;
“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 boobies.”
As you can imagine, no one was impressed.
The camera then panned to an uncomfortable smile from the film’s lead actor Margot Robbie and a disappointed nod from Gerwig. As Koy continued to make remarks on the film, we saw an unimpressed Ryan Gosling on camera, giving the host an unapproving stare.
But it wasn’t just the cast that could feel the tension.
Only Murders in the Building actor Selena Gomez could be seen gasping in shock at Koy’s jokes before bowing her head in disbelief.
Finishing his Barbie segment, we all hoped Koy would be able to reclaim his performance, but things only seemed to get worse as his monologue script turned to Taylor Swift.
“The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL – at the Golden Globes we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift,” Koy explained.
The camera cut to the pop star as she simply took a sip of her drink, a reaction that has gone absolutely viral on social media over the past few days.
Quick to apologise, “I’m sorry about that” Koy stated.
However, it didn’t help. Known for her large and vocal fan base, ‘swifties’ were quick to slam Koy on his poorly written punchline.
Twenty twenty-three was definitely the year of Taylor Swift with the singer’s ‘Era’s tour’ grossing over one-billion US dollars, being named Time Magazine’s person of the year, having the top concert film of all time, of which she was nominated for a Golden Globe and becoming Spotify’s most streamed artist globally.
Yet Koy turned to Swift’s relationship with NFL player Travis Kelce to place in his monologue?
It seems he entirely misjudged the audience in the room and globally.
Failing to take responsibility for his work Koy exclaimed “I only write some of these” trying to shift the blame to his writers.
However the poor excuse only seemed to worsen the situation, after all he was presenting to a room filled with writers.
Since the event Koy has commented on his performance, stating “it’s a hard job.”
However, it may be a while before he is able revive his brand image and win back over audiences on the global scale. Time to do some crisis management Jo…
Written by Victoria Guest – PR & Influencer Coordinator @ InsideOut PR and #AsSeenOn