The Golden Globes have been below average for years now, always promising consistent controversy. The 2024 Golden Globes were no different, with viewers taking to the internet after the host, Jo Koy, made some contentious remarks.
Koy, a Filipino-American comedian, has been building a global platform for years. He is known widely for poking fun at Filipino culture, his parenting experience and his family, among other topics. Currently, Koy has multiple Netflix specials and is touring around the world for his stand-up comedy shows. However, hosting an awards show is much different than his standard comedy set.
Koy attempted many jokes during his 10-minute monologue, many of which fell flat with his live audience and viewers at home. Most notably, about three minutes into his monologue, Koy spoke about the movies “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie,” which were both nominees for cinematic box office achievement. “‘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,” he said.
This caused an internet uproar, with users furious that Koy could make such a misogynistic joke about “Barbie.” It is a movie that is not about a “doll with big boobies,” but about the coming of age of a woman, the double standards of society and an overall theme of feminism. This joke was not only unfunny but also offensive to anyone who was even mildly involved in the movie.
Because of Koy’s strong relationship with his mother and daughters, along with the fact that his father left their family when Koy was only 10, one might imagine that he would have a better understanding of a movie like this. Nonetheless, the audience was not impressed by Koy’s performance thus far, which became increasingly obvious to Koy when he began nervously laughing after many of his jokes fell flat.
Moving on with the night, Koy kept defending himself, saying he “got the gig ten days ago” and threw other writers under the bus, explaining that he did not write many of the jokes he was making. However, as a comedian, especially one familiar with stand-up comedy, Koy should have done a better job.
Koy continued to make underwhelming jokes, many of which were misogynistic or just plain unfunny. Truly, his class and decency lost all semblance when he began blaming other people for the poor jokes he was making. Maybe he was just nervous and unprepared, but his lack of charisma and charm only made his performance worse.
The Golden Globes has not had a reputable host in a few years, and that shows, considering Koy was a last-minute choice. The Globes should go back to Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, or another duo of the sort, instead of choosing boring men with no sense of humor.
