When I turned on the television to watch the Golden Globes, I expected to see a moderately funny host, Jo Koy, who kept me entertained in between the awards. Instead, I nearly had to turn off the TV after he made a derogatory comment about the feminist blockbuster, “Barbie.”
For those who didn’t tune in on January 7th, the Golden Globes began with a dull opening speech that only worsened as it continued. Koy started by calling out Meryl Streep’s history of winning, Oppenheimer’s length of 3 hours, and his own lack of preparation: “I got the gig 10 days ago, you want a perfect monologue?” Perhaps his most offensive comment was directed at last summer’s most anticipated movie, “Barbie.” Comparing the two halves of “Barbenheimer,” Koy said, “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.”
I sat with my family as we trudged through the monotonous opening speech. Trudged. Slogged. My parents quickly brought out their phones, as Koy could not hold their attention. Then, they left the room. Only my sister and I remained, eager to get to the awards portion of the show.
As Koy brought up Oppenheimer, my sister and I chuckled briefly. Seconds later, as he said his next joke, we stared at each other in silence, mirroring the mood at the Golden Globes. In an attempt to get a laugh out of people, Koy had missed the entire point of the movie. While Koy called out “when [Barbie] goes from perfect beauty to bad breath, cellulite, and flat feet” as the movie’s key moment, the most famous monologue discusses women’s everyday struggles. I was astonished that this comedian could miss the obvious feminist point of the movie.
Other jokes that fell flat included Koy’s jab at Taylor Swift: “The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL? At the Golden Globes, we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift,” Koy said. Perhaps it was poetic justice that the camera panned to Swift cooly sipping her champagne glass, seemingly unbothered by the remark. The rest of the night followed a similar structure: Koy would make a joke, people would cringe then politely laugh, and Koy would attempt to cover up his joke with another bad joke.
Fieldston students had a lot to say after the Golden Globes. A Form IV student said, “[Jo Koy]’s known for doing accents, and when you take out those accents, there’s not really anything there.” Some opinions were stronger than others. Jo Koy’s performance mostly bothered students, but others could not hold back their rage: A Form III student said, “Jo Koy is the worst award show presenter I’ve ever seen.”
It’s time comedians step down from hosting awards shows. Year after year, they only serve to make lackluster jabs at a room full of famous actors. Is that who we want to host prestigious award shows? The Golden Globes’ purpose is not to make fun of celebrities. Nor is the Oscars or the Emmys. Their purpose is to honor the past year’s most renowned movies, television shows, and actors. The focus should not be the offensive jokes, but the awards themselves.
