The 81st annual Golden Globes took place on Jan. 7. Jo Koy’s monologue in particular received vast amounts of criticism. New York Times journalist, Stephanie Goodman described his opening monologue as “a highlight reel of mortifying moments”.
“The big difference between the Golden Globes and the N.F.L.? On the Golden Globes, we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift,” Koy joked. This is where the crowd’s apathy began. As the camera went to Taylor she was seen sipping a drink, not cracking a smile. Taylor Swift fans expressed their discontent online. This was known as Koy’s flattest joke. He went on to make more misogynistic jokes.
“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,” Koy said. The audience showed their dissatisfaction with Koy with guests Selena Gomez and Helen Mirren burying their heads in their hands. Many found this ironic as the Barbie movie’s main message is to highlight how hard it is to be a woman in a man’s world. After this joke bombed, Koy blamed his writers and the little time he had to prepare.
Koy also took a shot at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and their rough attempts at becoming TV producers for Netflix. He jokingly says that they took loads of money and did not deliver. This joke landed with some audience members. Haters of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry enjoyed it while those who supported them felt this was wrong.
Koy earned by many critics the title of “One of the Worst Hosts of the Golden Globes.”