The 81st Golden Globe Awards was one for the history books. Ali Wong and Steven Yeun’s groundbreaking victories for their roles in the critically-acclaimed comedy series, Beef, marked them as ‘the first and second actors, respectively, of Asian descent to win in their categories‘. Lily Gladstone became the first indigenous actress to win best performance for her role in Killers of the Flower Moon. On top of that, Filipino American comedian Jo Koy was unexpectedly chosen as the award show’s host, creating high anticipation among viewers eager to witness his typically humorous bits. However, Jo Koy ultimately fell short of the audience’s expectations, leaving critics to describe his performance as a ‘bad gig for the ages‘.
In his painfully awkward monologue, Koy stated that the NFL and the Golden Globes were different because the Golden Globes had ‘fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift’. The joke ultimately fell flat and received what has been interpreted by some as a hostile reaction from the star. Things only got worse when he defensively yelled out that he had written the jokes that people were laughing at, while the rest had been penned by others. Viewers found this jab particularly distasteful considering the writer’s strike that occurred just a few months prior to the event. However, the worst bit of all was his joke on how ‘Oppenheimer is based on a 721-page Pulitzer Prize-winning book about the Manhattan Project’, while Greta Gerwig’s Barbie was about a ‘plastic doll with big boobies’—an awfully reductive description of a film that has opened up important discussions on women’s struggles.
Nevertheless, despite all of the uproar that has occurred since, I am glad that the 2024 Golden Globe Awards happened the way it did. If there is one thing that we have learned from this infamous blunder, it is that being funny is not synonymous with being offensive and controversial. It’s refreshing to see how the Internet rallied together in defence of Barbie when it was being torn to shreds. Twitter/X user @laurengarafano said, ‘“barbie is based on a doll with big boobies” is an INSANE joke to make about a movie with a plot about how difficult it is to be a woman in a man’s world’. Another user, @StationxSoftbal, said, ‘not surprised that a man said that but how did you watch barbie, see this scene [referring to America Ferrera’s speech], and still come to the conclusion that it’s about “a plastic doll with big boobies”’.
This year’s Golden Globe Awards also revealed the desperate lengths that Hollywood is willing to go to in order to better their image in the eyes of the public. Some viewers have speculated that the inclusion of ill-advised jokes in Jo Koy’s monologue may have been a strategic move to deflect criticism away from the usual targets (the rich and powerful in Hollywood) and onto him. Take Ricky Gervais, for example, who, despite being overtly controversial himself, tends to punch upwards, making jokes at the expense of the top 1%, which has caused his opening monologues to be more warmly received. On the other hand, by having Jo Koy deliver jokes that targeted half of the population and capturing the disapproving reactions of powerful celebrities, a narrative was created that painted him as the antagonist and these stars as brave voices of dissent.
All in all, the 81st Golden Globe Awards is definitely one to be remembered, if not for its cringe-worthy moments, then for the way it challenges us to be more critical of the power dynamics in show business.