Jo Koy Backpedals Amid Fallout From His Brutal Taylor Swift Joke
Jo Koy does not want "Bad Blood" with Taylor Swift or her fans. The comedian is backpedaling on the joke he made during the 2024 Golden Globes that had many Swifties up in arms.
Koy got the last-minute hosting gig just weeks before the show was set to air, and it looks like he may have needed some extra time to think about the jokes he made, because many of them fell flat. But one in particular didn't sit well with Swifties or the musician herself. During his opening monologue, Koy joked about all the attention the "Karma" singer was getting during NFL broadcasts, per ET. He said, "The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL? At the Golden Globes, we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift." The camera then cut to Swift, who didn't seem to enjoy Koy's remark as she made a stern face before taking a sip of her drink.
Fans quickly came to the defense of the musician on social media as countless tweets, posts, TikToks, and more criticized the comedian for his joke. One X user, formerly known as Twitter, wrote, "All i'm gonna say is taylor swift and barbie will go down in history and jo koy or whatever his name is will fade into obscurity." This was just one of the many comments criticizing Koy, and it looks like he's regretting the jab he made toward Swift.
Jo Koy says Taylor Swift joke fell flat
Jo Koy wasn't prepared for the backlash that was to come from his joke about Taylor Swift. Initially, the comedian saw his jab at Swift as a compliment. He shared with Extra, "Cutaways. It was a compliment. It's like she could be more intimate tonight, that's all." But while Koy may have thought it was a flattering remark, the internet didn't think so. Now, with all the criticism, the "Leo" actor is beginning to realize that maybe the joke was a bit uncalled for.
While appearing on "GMA 3," Koy revealed the joke may have missed the mark, per Page Six. When asked about when the night started to go "off the cliff," he shared, "I think it was when the Taylor [Swift] one was just a little flat. ... It was a weird joke, I guess." Koy elaborated that he meant no harm toward the Grammy-winning musician and more so wanted to poke fun at the NFL. He shared, "I was trying to make fun of the NFL using cutaways and how the Globes didn't have to do that. So it was more of a jab toward the NFL. But it just didn't come out that way." Koy admitted his performance unfolded differently than he would have liked. He said, "I wanted to give a little bit more of me, and I fell a little short. That's all." Lesson learned to all future hosts, don't mess with Swift or her fans.
Jo Koy would love to host again
Jo Koy's Taylor Swift joke during the Golden Globes wasn't the only one that rubbed the audience and viewers the wrong way. Koy also made a remark about the box-office smash hit, "Barbie," per Time. He shared in his monologue, "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," he continued, "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!"
Between this and his joke about Swift, Koy faced immense criticism. One X user 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." However, the backlash hasn't deterred Koy from the potential opportunity to host the Golden Globes a second time around.
Koy admitted to People that he would "love to" host the Golden Globes again, but maybe with a bit more time. He shared, "With five months, not nine days." But even if the comedian had an extra five months or even years to perfect his monologue, we're not sure that Swifties would tune in after his remarks toward the musician.