Jo Koy is a trending topic just hours after stepping off the Golden Globes stage in Beverly Hills.
While many would love to be trending for good news, Koy has received backlash for a joke he made about the NFL and the attention it has paid to Taylor Swift this season due to her romance with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
“As you know, we came on after a football double-header,” he told the crowd at the Beverly Hilton Sunday night. “The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL? At the Golden Globes, we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift.”
Swift appeared to be displeased by the dig, which sent the internet ablaze and many slamming Koy’s job as host.
Instead of hiding, Koy joined Sam Rubin on the KTLA 5 Morning News on Monday and talked about the matter at hand.
The comedian said he’s “still excited” that he “was invited to one of the biggest parties in Hollywood.”
“I’m a comic,” he explained. “A host is different. It’s like those are two different things. It’s not the same element. That’s what people don’t understand in this industry.”
When it came to the Swift joke, Koy said he was confused.
“We didn’t understand why they were upset and we were just like, ‘Okay, the joke was NFL.’ (The) NFL is using that for cutaways, which is great bringing a lot of publicity to the NFL. The joke was like, ‘It’s fewer cutaways to her.'”
He said the material was not mean-spirited on his part.
He just thought the camera pan to Swift was a cutaway because of the layout of the show. During commercial breaks, the celebrities are out of their seats visiting with each other, so it’s a little looser than other awards ceremonies.
“No one’s listening to me on stage! Unless I directly talk to them. Like, if I wasn’t saying ‘Hey Robert De Niro’ and he’s like ‘Oh yes,'” he explained. “Taylor was probably talking about something else, so I don’t know.”
“I love Taylor,” he told Sam. “It was just a joke about the NFL using cutaways to always going to Taylor when people are trying to watch the Chiefs play. That’s all.”
While Koy meant no harm, online chatter of the incident has been anything but kind.
“I think people are taking it the wrong way,” he continued.
He admits the comments do sting.
“Does it hurt? Yes,” he admitted. “I took on a gig that no one wanted to take. We found out that the Globes were getting picked up by CBS two weeks before, they needed a host. There wasn’t enough time to prepare. That’s not an excuse at all. I took the challenge. I tried it. I’m not a host, obviously. I’m a stand-up comic and I love what I do.”
Koy also received criticism for making fun of the show’s writers onstage when his jokes landed flat.
“The poking of the writers, when you’re in that moment, it’s like ‘Hey man, I’ve got to grab something.”
The comedian also recognized that Sunday night was many people’s first introduction to his material.
“If you want to see who I really am, watch my stand-up specials,” he explained. “You see how I feel about people and where my heart is.”
In the meantime, Koy is focusing on the big picture. Not only was hosting the awards show a big moment for his career, but also his family and Filipino heritage.
He said he’s received a wave of support from his loved ones during this time.
“That’s when you know your real friends are your real friends,” he revealed. “It was great. Everyone in my community, they’ve been reaching out to me and I love it. They’re poking jabs and that’s what they’re supposed to do.”
He’s also gearing up for his worldwide comedy tour, which kicks off on Jan. 12.
“No matter what, I’m not going to let this bring me down,” he said. “I worked so hard for this.”
Yes, he does plan to address the backlash during his stand-up routine.
“Maybe in 2024, we can start to lighten up a little bit. Let’s not be so tight and tense all the time. There’s this thing called jokes and there’s this thing called laughter. I don’t want to take that away,” he continued. “I don’t want anyone to be censored or anything like that. Have fun and speak your truth.”