Comedy legend Steve Martin has come to the defence of Jo Koy, who hosted the Golden Globes for the first time on Sunday (7 January).
Koy, a relatively unknown US comic, has faced criticism for his lacklustre performance as host while also making “a bunch of jokes about women”.
However, on Tuesday, 78-year-old Martin wrote on Threads: “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.”
Martin last hosted the 82nd Academy Awards alongside Alec Baldwin 14 years ago (his third time presenting the event).
“So, Congratulations to Jo Koy,” he continued, “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!”
The day after the Globes, Koy himself admitted he’d had an “off night”.
Steve Martin (left) and Jo Koy— (Getty Images)
“I’d be lying if [I said] it doesn’t hurt,” he said on GMA3. “Hosting is just a tough gig. Yes, I’m a stand-up comic but that hosting position it’s a different style.”
Asked if there was a specific moment he felt bad about, Koy responded, “I think it was when the Taylor [Swift] one was just a little flat… It was a weird joke, I guess. But it was more on the NFL…
Swift was attending the awards ceremony in Los Angeles as her concert film Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour was among the nominated works.
During his opening monologue, Koy poked fun at Swift’s highly publicised displays of support for her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight-end Travis Kelce.
“The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL? On the Golden Globes, we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift... there’s just more to go to here.”
As the camera switched to a close-up of Swift, she could be seen pursing her lips before taking a sip from her drink, a decidedly icy expression on her face.
The View host Whoopi Goldberg also defended Koy, however, saying on her daytime talk show: “Hosting gigs are just brutal.
“If you’ve not been in these rooms before, and you’re sort of thrust out there, it’s hit or miss,” Goldberg added. “I love Jo Koy. He makes me just crazy because he’s funny. I don’t know whether it was the room. I don’t know whether the jokes. I didn’t get to see it. But I do know that he is as good as it gets when it comes to stand-up.”
