Jo Koy defends himself by standing firm amid backlash for 'Barbie' joke at Golden Globes, Internet says 'he is making it worse'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Comedian Jo Koy is no stranger to pushing the envelope with his humor, but his jokes as host of last week's Golden Globes seem to have crossed the line.

Koy is now facing heavy criticism online for making what many felt was insensitive or offensive quips about women during Hollywood's big award season kickoff. But despite the backlash, Koy remains defiant - defending his comedic instincts in a new interview while doubling down on his original intentions, as reported by The Messenger.

Jo Koy defends 'Barbie' joke and points out his active support of the movie

One of the most contentious jokes involved the 'Barbie' movie starring Margot Robbie. Koy described it as a film about “a plastic doll with big boobies.”

The comment sparked some backlash on social media for being perceived as objectifying. However, speaking to the Los Angeles Times this week, Koy defended the joke and said it was not ill-intentioned.

“If you’ve ever seen me, you’ll see just how much I praise and shine light on women, from my ex-wife to my mom,” he said. “I’m telling a joke — what happened to society where we can’t even joke with each other anymore.”

Koy pointed out that he had actively supported Greta Gerwig's 'Barbie' movie itself. “I bought the movie. I supported the movie,” he said. “Yes, that’s the story that that doll needed. And I’m glad because now there’s people that look like my mom that can support that.”

Jo Koy felt his Taylor Swift quip curtailed his momentum during Golden Globes

Another awkward moment occurred when Koy quipped that the Golden Globes does not need “cutaways to Taylor Swift” for ratings. The joke intended to mock the NFL’s excessive use of Swift's reaction shots, but it did not land with the audience.

“The whole intention of that joke was to make fun of the NFL,” Koy said. “It’s like, the cool thing about the [Golden] Globes is we don’t need to do cutaways for ratings.”

He said the joke kept getting rewritten up until the last minute when he had to go on stage. “It was just weird, where do you place it, and we kept hammering it and cutting it down,” he admitted.

Koy said he was confused by the negative reaction since he is a fan of Swift’s music himself. “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 hostile reaction stung Koy, who felt he was on a roll entertaining the audience with edgier material until the Swift joke seemed to curtail his momentum.

“And then I did that [Swift] joke and I’m like, what just happened?” Koy said about sensing the mood shift. “It was fun when I walked out. Robert De Niro was dying...And when I did the whole thing about him being 80 he loved it.”

While Koy bombed at the Globes, he remains defiant against the backlash - doubling down on his comedic instincts and standing by his original intentions.

Internet piles on Joy Koy for trying to justify his Golden Globes jokes

Koy’s explanations did little to quell criticism on social media, with many commenters arguing he was just “making it worse” by trying to justify the jokes. One X user expressed disappointment, stating, "This is just making it worse."

Another user took a more critical stance, commenting, "Yeah, he fell off. Mans is sounding misogynistic lately." A third individual shared a more detailed perspective, saying, "It was embarrassing. This whole year was a great one for women in film & he was so wide of the mark. There is a way he could have approached that & he completely missed the mark. It wasn’t just bad, it was out of touch & insulting."

Another chimed in, emphasizing, "The whole point of Barbie was about people that make jokes like that." A fifth user succinctly declared, "He’s making it worse for himself." Adding to the critique, a sixth user urged a reevaluation of choices, stating, "Stop giving comedians hosting gigs."

 

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