One viewer called the jokes ‘reductive and cheap’ (Picture: Rich PolkGolden Globes 2024 via Getty Images)
The host of the Golden Globes hit back after his opening monologue at the glitzy award ceremony was booed and met with extremely awkward reactions from celebrities.
This 2024 ceremony took place in Beverly Hills, with stars including Margot Robbie, Taylor Swift, Jennifer Lopez and Oprah Winfrey in attendance at the lavish affair.
Jo Koy was announced as the host of the event on December 21, days before it was due to take place – a fact that he made sure to mention on multiple occasions while trying to make his audience laugh.
The comedian began by explaining that when he first signed the contract to host the ceremony, he pretended that he had seen all of the nominated films and TV shows… and so had to quickly get through plenty of them, including the three-hour long Oppenheimer.
‘I loved Oppenheimer. I just got one complaint – needed another hour, because I felt like it needed some more backstory,’ he quipped, as the camera panned to Robert Downey Jr.
‘My New Year’s resolution for 2024 is to finish Oppenheimer in 2025. I love Oppenheimer – especially the first season.’
Director Christopher Nolan didn’t look impressed (Picture: Rich Polk/Golden Globes 2024 via Getty Images)
At this statement, the camera showed Oppenheimer’s director Christopher Nolan looking pretty unimpressed, as Jo remarked: ‘That’s so stupid…’
The host then decided to compare Oppenheimer to Barbie, after the two blockbuster movies went up against each other over the summer in a cinematic event dubbed ‘Barbenheimer’.
‘Oppenheimer is based on a 724-page Pulitzer Prize-winning book about the Manhattan Project, and Barbie is based on a plastic doll with big boobies…’ the 52-year-old said, as Barbie director Greta Gerwig nodded politely.
The host didn’t stop there, adding: ‘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”.’
An eagle-eyed viewer who watched the clip of Jo’s monologue on YouTube pointed out that Selena Gomez and Dame Helen Mirren appeared to react to the ‘character actor’ jibe by placing their heads in their hands in a show of exasperation.
Barbie won the award for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement (Picture: Rich Polk/Golden Globes 2024 via Getty Images)
According to Rolling Stone, Jo’s wisecrack about Barbie being about a ‘plastic doll with big boobies’ prompted jeers and boos from the crowd.
He stressed in his monologue that while he wrote some of the jokes, various gags were apparently written by other people.
‘Some I wrote, some other people wrote. Yo, I got the gig 10 days ago! You want a perfect monologue? Shut up! You’re kidding me, right? I wrote some of these, and they’re the ones you’re laughing at,’ he stated.
Another awkward moment came when Jo took aim at Taylor Swift, joking about her relationship with NFL star Travis Kelce as he said: ‘The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL? At the Golden Globes, we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift.’
Taylor looked stony-faced in response, taking a sip from her drink as the camera focused in on her.
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web
browser that
supports HTML5
video
Golden Globes 2024 – the winners in full
Best Motion Picture Drama – Oppenheimer
Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy – Poor Things
Best Motion Picture Animated – The Boy and the Heron
Cinematic and Box Office Achievement – Barbie
Best Motion Picture Non-English Language – Anatomy of a Fall
Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture Drama – Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer
Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture Drama – Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon
Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy – Emma Stone, Poor Things
Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy – Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers
Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture – Robert Downey Jr, Oppenheimer
Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture – Da’Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers
Best Director Motion Picture – Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer
Best Screenplay Motion Picture – Anatomy of a Fall
Best Original Song Motion Picture – What Was I Made For? from Barbie by Billie Eilish O’Connell, Finneas O’Connell
Best Original Score – Oppenheimer
Best Television Series Drama – Succession
Best Television Series Musical or Comedy – The Bear
Best Television Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture Made for Television – Beef
Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series Drama – Sarah Snook, Succession
Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Series Drama – Kieran Culkin, Succession
Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series Musical or Comedy – Ayo Edebiri, The Bear
Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Series Musical or Comedy – Jeremy Allen White, The Bear
Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television – Ali Wong, Beef
Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television – Steven Yeun, Beef
Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role on Television -Elizabeth Debicki, The Crown
Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role on Television – Matthew Macfadyen, Succession
Best Performance in Stand-Up Comedy on Television – Ricky Gervais, Ricky Gervais: Armageddon
Reacting to Jo’s presenting at the ceremony, The Lincoln Project creative director Michelle Kinney tweeted: ‘So far Jo Koy has insulted Taylor Swift, the woman responsible for the highest-grossing music tour EVER, and the women responsible for the highest grossing film in Warner Bros history — Barbie. This year, of all the years. Reductive, sexist, and cheap. Hate it.’
‘The awkward silence at Jo Koy’s Barbie jokes… He told smart jokes about the other nominees and all he had about Barbie was “big boobs,”’ added writer Raven Brunner.
One X user longed for former hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler to return, writing: ‘Jo Koy is INSUFFERABLE. Where are Tina Fey and Amy Poehler?!?!’
Actor Gilluis Pérez added: ‘Why would you need Jo Koy as a host when KRISTEN WIIG AND Will Ferrell are right here?!’
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
MORE : Taylor Swift shoots ‘death stare’ after Travis Kelce joke at Golden Globes 2024
MORE : Tearful Brie Larson leaves Jennifer Lopez dabbing at eyes with moving confession as stars meet
One viewer called the jokes ‘reductive and cheap’.
