To express the absolute jaw-dropping shock and anger I felt when I watched the 2024 Golden Globes would simply be impossible. For centuries, women have fought to prove themselves in cinema and the media. They have shown their talent, strength, and resiliency in films, music, and other creative forms. Jo Koy made “jokes” in his Golden Globes speech that attempted to sum up their achievements as nothing more than their effects on men. My anger was first contained in a rant to my mom about the events. Now I’m here two weeks later, still angry, and ready to share that rant with you.
Jo koy’s jokes and why they sucked
Stepping onto the stage on Jan. 7, Jo Koy’s “comedy” contained nothing more than insults with minimal petty chuckles but mostly awkward silence from the audience. Within the first two minutes of the monologue, he insulted Oppenheimer, one of three films up for the Cinematic and Box Office Achievement Award. He claimed that the film “needed another hour” and said that it answered his “lifelong question” with a “yes, scientists do get laid, as long as they look like Cillian Murphy.” Minimizing the movie to its length and looks of the leading actor was strike one.
What really started to upset the crowd, and rightfully so, was his jokes about the film Barbie.
“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 Barbie movie’s purpose was to point out the unreachable expectations set for women and to tell girls everywhere that they don’t need to reduce themselves to fit in that toxic box. In America Ferrera’s (who played Gloria) monologue in the film, she talks about how “it is literally impossible to be a woman.” Ferrera points out the double standards that women are expected to follow including their attitudes and appearances. By saying that Barbie is simply about how the doll looks, Koy proved that Barbie’s message still needs to be heard. This also proves that he’s exactly the type of person that the film’s message was aimed at.
Instead of stopping there, he not only continued to insult Barbie and prove his need for a reality check, but he insulted Margot Robbie, who played Barbie. He said that the most important part of the movie was when Barbie “goes from perfect beauty to bad breath, cellulite, and flat feet. Or what casting directors call a character actor!”
Regardless of her talent, that is not okay to say to someone, and Koy had the audacity to attempt to insult her in front of a large crowd. I would also like to add that this revelation was not, in fact, the main point of the movie. This was just the start of Barbie’s journey to discover what she was made for. Let’s not forget about her wonderful acting throughout the duration of the film.
Koy’s last jab at Barbie came when he said he found it weird that he was “attracted to a plastic doll… it’s just something about your eyes, Ryan.” After this awkward and strange comment, he made it worse by saying, “Margot, it’s not always about you.” All I can say is “Wow.”
Giving Barbie a break from the out-of-touch insults, Koy also commented on Taylor Swift. He mentioned that the Golden Globes followed an NFL double-header. He then looked at Swift and said, “You know the difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL? At the Golden Globes, we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift.”
the public’s Reactions to the Jokes
After each of Koy’s jokes, mild laughter could be heard. What was weird about this, however, was the fact that in most of the shots of the crowd, very few people could be seen laughing. These tasteless jokes caused various reactions from the crowd. Some theorize that there was a laugh track for a number of reasons. Selena Gomez puts her face in her hands, Emma Stone gives a straight face of disapproval and looks away, and Greta Gerwig, the director of Barbie, simply nods with a sad expression. This was, in my opinion, the most heart-wrenching reaction. Gerwig put her heart and soul into this film to send a beautiful and needed message to the world and Koy simply trashed it in one comment.
After the snide comment about her, Swift pressed her lips into a line and took a sip of her drink. This was a fair and, honestly, kind reaction to his insult. Instead of support though, reporters claimed Swift overreacted, suggesting she “Get[s] a sense of humor,” and “Just smile[s].” No! This is what women have been expected to do for far too long, and the moment a woman in the spotlight doesn’t just brush off an insult, she is criticized over the perpetrator.
Taylor Swift once said, “Men are allowed to react; women can only overreact.” This quote never ceases to be true and relevant. Ryan Gosling was praised for his ashamed look when Jo Koy called out Barbie, but when Margot, Taylor, and Greta did the same, they were criticized and degraded. *Cue Taylor Swift’s “The Man”*
People all over the internet brought attention to Koy’s insipid jokes. Some pointed out the crowd’s reactions, others ranted, and a few even came up with their own version of Koy’s jokes — a version where they weren’t at all offensive and actually warranted a laugh.
Jo Koy’s Response
Koy has obviously received major backlash from his jokes. However, instead of apologizing, he defended himself claiming it was an “off night.” Onstage he even realized that his jokes weren’t going well and passed it off as only having ten days to write these jokes and that others wrote them as well. In that case, how did others take ten minutes to write non-insulting jokes?
While the 2024 Golden Globes are in the past, I don’t think that they’ll be easily forgotten. We need to address this social injustice and not just forget about the “jokes” that proved the need for Barbie’s message. Barbie is about so much more than “big boobies.” It’s about how women are more than pretty faces. We don’t have to give up childhood joys to fit in with society, and having flaws is beautiful! Don’t let the haters get you down.
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