After another successful year for shows and movies, audiences and celebrities alike patiently waited to see which of their favorites would win at the various award shows that stream this time of year. One of these shows, the Golden Globes, was held on Jan. 7, and drew quite a bit of attention with 9.4 million viewers, a 50% increase from last year according to CBS. These numbers were promising in the wake of the show’s rebrand due to unveiled controversies. 

According to CBS, “A 2021 Los Angeles Times exposé revealed that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association — which serves as the voting body for the awards — had no Black members. Some voters were also accused of making sexist and racist remarks and soliciting favors from celebrities and movie studios.” 

In response to this, the show was canceled before it could air in 2022, and was brought back in 2023 with new owners and new voters. Given that this has only been the second show since the Golden Globes underwent reform, there was added attention and pressure placed on the awards and how operations are going. 

With high numbers of viewers, the show was successful in establishing its relevance post-controversy. However, those high numbers of viewers turned out to be somewhat of a negative as well, as they meant that a high number of viewers watched the show’s host, Jo Koy, make multiple problematic comments. 

Koy, born Joseph Glenn Herbert, is a standup comedian who has been in the entertainment industry since the mid-90s. Today, he can be seen on his mainly U.S. tour that is scheduled to continue until May, on one of his multiple Netflix specials or, most recently, as the host of the Golden Globes 2024. According to Koy during the ceremony, he booked the Golden Globes only 10 days before they aired. This quick timing was perhaps due to major names such as Chris Rock, Ali Wong and the “Smartless” podcasters all declining the role.

One of the problematic comments made by Koy was in reference to Taylor Swift. Koy joked, “The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL? At the Golden Globes, we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift.” The joke did not land well, especially given Swift’s history of dealing with misogyny and being vocal about her experiences. It can also be noted that this comment added to her already complicated relationship with awards shows, with one instance being when Kanye West interrupted her 2009 VMA awards acceptance speech. 

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Koy attempted to defend the joke, claiming that “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].” 

The other problematic comment made by Koy regarded the movies “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie.” Koy stated that “‘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. The key moment in ‘Barbie’ is when she goes from perfect beauty to bad breath, cellulite and flat feet. Or what casting directors call character actor!”

Given the content of the film “Barbie,” and the way it was so beautifully received by women, the comment did not land. The misogynistic nature of the joke was perhaps the whole reason why the movie was made. Koy then goes on to attempt to cover up his bad joke by saying “Yo, I got the gig 10 days ago, you want a perfect monologue? Yo, shut up. You’re kidding me, right. Slow down. I wrote some of these and they’re the ones you’re laughing at.”

Regardless of Koy’s short preparation time or jokes written by other writers, the bottom line is that the jokes were still misogynistic and unfunny. This was not good press for the Golden Globes in the aftermath of their reform and now the award show will have to work even harder to establish itself as favorable.