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Hosting a prestigious awards ceremony is a daunting task for any assigned emcee.
Even the most seasoned stand-up comedian who usually captivates audiences can struggle to land a joke when standing in front of a sea of A-listers.
This is a sentiment that The View moderator Whoopi Goldberg, who is all too familiar with hosting award shows, expressed on the talk show when defending veteran comic Jo Koy when his performance failed to resonate with Hollywood audiences at the 81st Golden Globe Awards on Sunday.
Koy enjoyed success after being named the title Stand-Up Comedian Of The Year at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal in 2018. The Washington native, who got his start in comedy in Las Vegas coffee shops, also had six comedy specials released by Comedy Central and Netflix.
But when it came to being the Globes' master of ceremonies, his jokes fell flat, resulting in online backlash with many complaining about his cringe-worthy deliveries.
A highlight clip showed examples of Koy's awkward moments, including his sexist comparison between the inspirations behind the movies Oppenheimer and Barbie, the latter of which he minimized by remarking it was based on a "plastic doll with big boobies."
At one point, Koy bellowed:
"I got the gig ten days ago and you want a perfect monologue? Shut up!"
He also quipped that the difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL broadcasts was that the Globes had "fewer shots of Taylor Swift."
The comment referenced the media frenzy surrounding the singer attending NFL games supporting her beau, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
The reel concluded with a closeup of Swift, who attended the ceremony as a nominee in a new category honoring cinematic and box-office achievement. She appeared unimpressed by the dig.
Goldberg shed some light on the ensuing backlash Koy endured.
"These hosting gigs are brutal," said Goldberg.
“If you don’t know the room, if you’ve not been in these rooms before and you’re sort of thrust out there, it’s hit or miss."
Goldberg noted that while she didn't attend the ceremony, she loved Koy's work and wondered if it was the room or the jokes that failed him.
But she maintained that his comedy was "as good as it gets when it comes to stand-ups.”
You can watch the segment here.
Golden Globes Host Booed During Monologue | The Viewyoutu.be
People shared their split takes.
@THR \xe2\x80\xa6.but don\xe2\x80\x99t throw your writers under the bus.— (@)
Goldberg recalled she's had failures as a jokester and commented that they were "tough gigs."
In 1994, Goldberg made history as the first Black person and first woman to host the Academy Awards. She went on to host the ceremony again in 1996, 1999, and 2002.
She told her fellow The View co-hosts while laughing:
“If you read any of the reviews of some of the gigs that I’ve had, where they’ve just wished me into the cornfield."
“I learned the room.”
Co-host Sarah Hines defended Koy and said she was "nervous for him" but what bothered her most from the evening was the audience's lack of sense of humor.
“We need to protect these national treasures called our comedians,” she said, adding that "life needs them. We need to stop binding them in, fencing them in."
She continued:
“In that room, Jo Koy is punching up. No one feels sorry―just smile.”
The View co-hosts weren't the only ones expressing support for Koy amid the online complaints against him.
Legendary comedian and actor Steve Martin gave Koy props on Threads, writing:
“I tip my hat to anyone who steps out on stage to host a live awards show. It’s a very difficult job and not for the squeamish."
"I know because I’m still throwing up from the last time I did it in 2010."
“So, Congratulations to Jo Koy, who took on the toughest gig in show business, hit, missed, was light on his feet, and now has twenty minutes of new material for his stand-up!”
Filipino TV and radio host Tim Yap celebrated the representation after the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) selected Koy, who was born to a Caucasian father and a Filipina mother.
Yap wrote:
"I stand with @Jokoy and every Filipino who puts themselves out there. Whether they failed or succeeded, they gave their best and they represented us."
Past Golden Globes hosts included comedian Jerrod Carmichael (2023), Tina Fey & Amy Poehler (2021), Andy Samberg & Sandra Oh (2019), and British comedian/actor/writer Ricky Gervais, who hosted the Globes five times in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2016, and 2020 despite his controversially ruthless jabs at Hollywood colleagues.