Seth Meyers Says Jo Koy Did a Great Job as Golden Globes Host and the Deck Was Stacke

Posted by Jenniffer Sheldon on Wednesday, January 17, 2024

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The comedian and host of “Late Night With Seth Meyers” told Variety he thought Jo Koy did a “great job” hosting the 81st Annual Golden Globe Awards, considering the “deck was stacked against him.” 

While speaking with Marc Malkin for Variety On the Carpet, presented by DIRECTV, Meyers was asked what the comedian thought about Koy’s performance as host, to which he responded, “When you do a show like these, it helps to have a staff of people you know and you trust well.” Meyers continued, “So, all things considered, I thought he did a great job considering how the deck was stacked against him.” 

Meyers complimented Koy, saying he’s “had this incredible career” and “done it all on his own.” 

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“That’s a real credit to Jo,” Meyers added. 

Koy is facing backlash for giving a divisive performance as host of the 81st Golden Globes, where he polarized viewers for, among other things, delivering what audiences believed to be a sexist joke in which he compared Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” and Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie.”

“‘Oppenheimer’ is based on the 721-page Pulitzer Prize-winning book about the Manhattan Project — and ‘Barbie’ is about a plastic doll with big boobies,” he said as the Globe’s audience responded with a muted laugh.

The joke drew criticism online, with many finding the joke to be in poor taste, given that “Barbie” aims to fight gender stereotypes. For her part, director Greta Gerwig was not bothered by the joke, telling BBC Radio 4 Today a few days after the ceremony: “Well, he’s not wrong. She’s the first doll that was mass-produced with breasts, so he was right on.”

Other comments garnered criticism, including about singer-songwriter Taylor Swift and her recent attendance at Kansas City Chiefs games in support of her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, as well as comments he made about his writing staff in his monologue, saying, “Some [jokes] I wrote, some other people wrote,” he told the audience. “Yes, 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 are the ones you are laughing at.”

Koy has two specials coming to Netflix this year, including one taped last November in Brooklyn, and is currently touring across the country, with one of his Los Angeles shows selling out, prompting him to add a new date.  

Watch Seth Meyer’s full red-carpet interview above. 

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