The 81st Golden Globe Awards, held in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, in 2020, featured a number of unforgettable moments, including touching acceptance speeches and surprising victories. Though many loved Gillian Anderson’s ‘ivory strapless’ dress and Taylor Swift’s sparkly snake-green gown, many were unimpressed with host Jo Koy’s many controversial jokes.
With some not-so-funny jokes in his opening monologue, Koy failed to win over both the audience and A-list celebrities. During his speech, the comedian stated that Oppenheimer is based on a “721-page” book, whereas Barbie is a plastic doll with “big b**bies”.
The director of Barbie, Greta Gerwig’s expression naturally changed to one of mild disappointment upon hearing this crude joke. Would she retaliate with anger? Would she stoop to his level? No. Instead, she used her grace and responded in a way that left everyone in awe. She somewhat agreed with Koy, saying, “he’s not wrong”.
Greta Gerwig Dismantles Jo Koy’s Disrespectful Barbie Joke with Kindness
Though most of Jo Koy’s jokes were met with disdain from both the audience and those watching at home, his performance made a significant contribution to the longstanding tradition of celebrity roasting, mocking everyone from Meryl Streep to Taylor Swift. Making a joke about Barbie was one of the low points in an otherwise unfunny monologue. At the 81st Annual Golden Globes, he stated in his opening 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 b**bies. 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!”
The joke received a lackluster reception from those in attendance that evening, and the Barbie cast and crew—including co-writer and director Greta Gerwig—seemed unimpressed as well. When asked about her reaction to the joke, she seemed unaffected. The director, 40, told Deadline:
“Well, he’s not wrong. She’s the first doll that was mass produced with breasts, so he was right on. And you know, I think that so much of the project of the movie was unlikely because it is about a plastic doll… Barbie by her very construction has no character, no story, she’s there to be projected upon.”
All jokes aside, Barbie wrapped up the evening with two statues in hand: one for the song What Was I Made For?, and another for ‘Cinematic and Box Office Achievement’.
Jo Koy Became the Social Media Joke Following His Golden Globes Monologue
Viewers on the internet seemed equally unimpressed. Jo Koy’s comments drew criticism from a number of X users, who called his performance “awful”, and implied he had failed miserably as this year’s host.
Let’s see some of the tweets from fans:
Never invite Jo Koy to one of these again please. So, so awful. pic.twitter.com/Oqhpeiosp5
— Sethsfilmreviews (@sethsfilmreview) January 8, 2024
He can’t “Josepp!!!” his way out of this one I'm afraid
— Melissa Masters 😈 18+ 😈 (@melissaxmasters) January 8, 2024
Jo Koy escaping the #GoldenGlobes to avoid seeing Taylor Swift or anyone in that audience after the show: pic.twitter.com/agjaWjIKPZ
— Jonathan Sim (@TheJonathanSim) January 8, 2024
Oops! Looks like it's going to be Jo Koy's last at the Golden Globes.
— jaidev joshi (@jdjoshi60) January 8, 2024
This shot is so brutal, as if someone from the control room knew Jo Koy was gonna bomb hard after the Barbie joke they made sure to get a wide shot of the audience. #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/u78k5vBS4l
— Dwight De Leon (@newsdwight) January 8, 2024
The situation worsened when the jokes went viral, and Koy became defensive, blaming his writers and the little time he had to prepare for the show (via Time).
“Yo, I got the gig 10 days ago, you want a perfect monologue? Yo, shut up. You’re kidding me, right. Slow down. I wrote some of these, and they’re the ones you’re laughing at.”
Despite the phenomenal perfection of the Birds of Prey star, it seems like a few people didn’t get the message related to Barbie. Starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, the film chronicles a self-discovery journey through the real world & Barbieland. But some, like comedian Jo Koy, mistakenly think that Barbie is all about dolls with b**bs. And Greta Gerwig’s reply is a tight slap on the face of such jokes that question the process of self-improvement.
Stream Barbie on Max.
