Many award programs have unfavorable moments. Most notably, the slap altercation between Chris Rock and Will Smith at the 2022 Oscars. However, a new scandal attracted the attention of viewers from the 81st Annual Golden Globes.

Broadcasted live on Jan. 7, 2024, this year’s Golden Globes ceremony was hosted by American actor and comedian Jo Koy. Many viewers of the program believed that Koy’s performance was less than ideal, as various jokes he made were jabs at women in the entertainment industry. Koy drew attention away from his comedy by making self-defensive remarks about his experience of getting the hosting gig, which was perceived by the audience as ill-preparedness, according to vulture.com.

“Yo, I got the gig 10 days ago,” Koy said in his speech. “You want a perfect monologue? Shut up.”

But the criticism does not end here. Koy also mentioned the July 21, 2023, double-feature, when the films “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie” were released in theaters.

“‘Oppenheimer’ is based on a 721-page, Pulitzer Prize-winning book about the Manhattan Project,” Koy said. “And ‘Barbie’ is based on a plastic doll with big boobies.”

Meanwhile, the “Barbie” movie took the world by storm, creating a unique theater experience for women across the world. Wearing pink outfits, showcasing Barbie’s signature color, along with photos inside a cardboard “Barbie box” sparked tons of positive reactions online, creating a sense of unity surrounding a fun movie while addressing the gender barrier in a thoughtful way.

People were not pleased with this joke, and it received major backlash online. However, Greta Gerwig, director of the Barbie movie responded to Koy’s comment.

“Well, he’s not wrong,” Gerwig said, according to pagesix.com. “She’s the first doll that was mass-produced with breasts, so he’s right on.”

Koy went on with hosting, making yet another controversial joke about Taylor Swift, one of the most listened-to artists of all time, gaining more attention with her recent “Eras Tour.” Swift’s recent publicity has come from her public relationship with NFL athlete Travis Kelce.

“As you know, we came on after a football doubleheader,” Koy said, according to deadline.com. “The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL? On the Golden Globes, we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift.”

Overall, Koy’s hosting at the Golden Globes fell flat and was uncomfortable for audiences, as most of his jokes were distastefully aimed at women.
After the storm passed, Koy has since reflected on his performance at the awards show, explaining that the writers had only been decided eight days before the Globes, and the monologue had been finalized the day before the show, according to latimes.com.

“We were still writing up until they said we’re live,” Koy said, according to latimes.com. “And this is not an excuse, I’m just trying to paint the picture, because I don’t think people understand, in any situation, how is that geared towards winning? If you were to write that situation down on a piece of paper and go, ‘Do you want to do this?’ I guarantee everyone would be like ‘No.’ I’m happy I did it because I did accept that challenge.”