Jo Koy got absolutely roasted for the monologue he delivered to open the Golden Globe Awards on January 7. After apparently taking the gig on short notice, the comedian resorted to blaming the writers for giving him bad jokes when his commentary on Barbie’s “big boobies” and Robert De Niro becoming a father again at age 79 drew less-than-enthused reactions from its audience. A joke about Taylor Swift, in particular, seemed to annoy the musician, and people including Megyn Kelly and the co-hosts on The View had some strong opinions about her reaction.
In his speech to kick off the 81st Golden Globe Awards, Jo Koy referenced Taylor Swift’s frequent presence at Kansas City Chiefs games, where she has been cheering on boyfriend Travis Kelce. Koy joked that the difference between the awards show and the NFL was that, “at the Golden Globes, we have fewer shots of Taylor Swift.” When the camera cut to the Eras Tour star, she remained expressionless as she took a sip of her drink. Megyn Kelly didn’t hold back her feelings about Swift’s “death glare,” and in a clip from The Megyn Kelly Show, she said:
So can’t she just, like, show that she’s a good sport? I think she made the wrong move.
Megyn Kelly’s guest Maureen Callahan of the Daily Mail agreed, firing an additional shot at the artist by saying:
I felt the same way. I thought, wow, if we needed any further proof that she has no sense of humor about herself. This will be a revenge song in whatever her next magnum opus is.
While Travis Kelce has even admitted that the NFL got a little overexcited about Taylor Swift’s appearances — and even took part in a Saturday Night Live sketch on the topic when the couple made surprise cameos — Swift pointed out that to Time magazine that she isn’t the one who determines how often the camera cuts to her during football games and has no idea when she’s “pissing off a few dads, Brads, and Chads.”
Megyn Kelly’s assertion that Taylor Swift should have had a sense of humor and humility at the Golden Globes was echoed to some degree in a segment on The View, as Sara Haines said:
What bothered me more in watching this is get a sense of humor. Because we need to protect these national treasures called our comedians, because life needs them. We need to stop binding them in, fencing them in. In that room, Jo Koy is punching up. No one feel sorry, just smile.
Rather than critiquing Taylor Swift’s reaction, The View co-hosts focused more on defending Jo Koy, who made history Sunday as the first Filipino-American to host the awards show. Whoopi Goldberg spoke from experience when she pointed out that those ceremonies are a tough gig — something that Koy admitted in the aftermath of the show.
Jo Koy responded to the backlash over his hosting duties, pointing out that hosting is a different beast than stand-up comedy, and in regards to Taylor Swift, he said he was trying to take “more of a jab toward the NFL. But it just didn’t come out that way.”
For those who want to see more of what Jo Koy has to offer with his comedy, you can check out his specials Live from Seattle and Comin’ in Hot with a Netflix subscription. That also happens to be where you can stream Taylor Swift’s documentary Miss Americana.
