The 81st Golden Globes, which took place January 7th at The Beverly Hilton Hotel, was a memorable night for many celebrities.
While Cillian Murphy was awarded Best Actor for Best Performance in a Motion Picture in a Drama for his portrayal of J. Robert Oppenheimer in Oppenheimer, Lily Gladstone won Best Actress for her role as Mollie Burkhart in Killers of the Flower Moon.
However, the night was far from ideal for the ceremony’s host, comedian Jo Koy, who received backlash—as well as another, unofficial award for the “Worst Host Ever”— for many of his opening monologue jokes, which were labeled “misogynistic” by numerous viewers.
One of them addressed the record-breaking Barbie movie, comparing it to Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer.
Greta Gerwig broke her silence following Jo Koy’s controversial joke about Barbie during his Golden Globes opening monologue
Image credits: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Image credits: Rich Polk/Getty Images
The joke in question, which made Selena Gomez and Helen Mirren bury their heads in their hands, was: “Oppenheimer is based on a 721-page Pulitzer Prize–winning book about the Manhattan Project, and Barbie is on a plastic doll with big boobies.”
The comedian’s remark came after Barbie star America Ferrera spoke about the importance of her famous monologue during the film, which many criticized as an overly simplified version of feminism.
“There are a lot of people who need Feminism 101, whole generations of girls […] who don’t have words for the culture that they’re being raised in. Also, boys and men who may have never spent any time thinking about feminist theory,” the actress told The New York Times.
“There are entire countries that banned this film for a reason,” she added.
“Oppenheimer is based on a 721-page Pulitzer Prize–winning book about the Manhattan Project, and Barbie is on a plastic doll with big boobies,” the comedian said
Image credits: Movie Trailers Source
When asked about it during an interview for BBC Radio 4, she explained the reason behind her unexpected reaction in a response to the comedian that many praised as classy.
As Gerwig explained, Koy wasn’t “wrong” about Barbie being a movie about “a doll with big boobs.”
“She’s the first doll that was mass-produced with breasts, so he was right on. And you know, I think that so much of the project of the movie was unlikely because it is about a plastic doll,” the director explained.
“Barbie by her very construction has no character, no story, she’s there to be projected upon.”
Gerwig surprised people by responding that Koy wasn’t “wrong” about his remark
Image credits: Golden Globes
The fantasy comedy film about the iconic Mattel doll saw staggering success at the box office last year, grossing over $1 billion in the first three weeks of its theatrical release and ultimately beating Oppenheimer after being released the same day.
Additionally, Gerwig became the first female solo director in history with a billion-dollar movie, and the film’s success was recognized at the Golden Globes with an accolade for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement.
Gerwig, who also directed Little Women and Lady Bird, continued by highlighting the importance of her latest film for the younger generations.
“The insight that [Barbie’s creator] Ruth Handler had when she was watching her daughter play with baby dolls is she realized, ‘My daughter doesn’t want to pretend to be a mother. She wants to pretend to be a grown woman,'” she added.
“She’s the first doll that was mass-produced with breasts, so he was right on,” the film’s director said, before adding that Barbie was created “to be projected upon”
Image credits: Golden Globes
Fans of the film took to social media to defend Gerwig and applaud her for her elegant response.
“It’s classy! And it’ll be read that way! It also shows Greta’s knowledge of Barbie history and lore. She restated the thesis of her project with a smile,” one person wrote.
“She put his joke into a different perspective,” somebody else agreed before adding, “but I still feel like he was still trying to reduce the movie to just ‘HuR dER bOoBies.’”
However, many renowned comedians who hosted award shows in the past took Koy’s side, pointing to the numerous challenges the hosting job presented.
The comedy film about the iconic Mattel doll grossed over $1 billion in the first three weeks of its theatrical release
Image credits: Golden Globes
The comedian’s joke didn’t sit well with many audience members
Never invite Jo Koy to one of these again please. So, so awful. pic.twitter.com/Oqhpeiosp5
— Sethsfilmreviews (@sethsfilmreview) January 8, 2024
Actor and comedian Steve 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.”
The Planes, Trains & Automobiles actor admitted that he’s “still throwing up” from the last time he hosted the Academy Awards in 2010 (he also presented the awards in 2001 and 2003).
Moreover, Kevin Hart spoke in favor of the last Golden Globes host, referring to Koy as an “amazing comedian.”
“I think Jo Koy’s an amazing comedian. Always has been. [He] sells out arenas all over,” Hart said. “This is not anything [he] needs to make a moment out of. … It’s a tough room.”
However, many comedians like Steve Martin defended Jo Koy, saying that hosting is a “very difficult job and not for the squeamish”
Image credits: Davidwbaker
“Without the knowledge and understanding of how to navigate in that room, you can have some moments — some bumps. Jo is fine.”
Whoopi Goldberg also took part in the debate, emphasizing that “these hosting gigs are brutal.”
Goldberg, who hosted the Academy Awards four times (1994, 1996, 1999, 2002), said during an episode of The View: “If you don’t know the room, if you’ve not been in these rooms before, you’re sort of thrust out there. It’s hit or miss.”
Whoopi Goldberg also took part in the debate, emphasizing that “these hosting gigs are brutal” and can be “a hit or miss”
Image credits: whoopigoldberg
“Now, I love Jo Koy. He, to me, makes me just crazy because he’s funny. I don’t know whether it was the room. I don’t know whether it was the jokes. I didn’t get to see it,” the actress continued.
“But I do know that he is as good as it gets when it comes to stand-ups. That is not an easy game.”
Michael Che also addressed the infamous monologue on social media, arguing that the cause for Koy’s unpopular performance relied on actors, who are tough crowds to entertain.
“Comedians should boycott hosting award shows,” the stand-up comedian wrote in a now-deleted Instagram post. “For one, it’s very difficult to make movie stars laugh.”
Kevin Hart spoke in favor of the Golden Globes host, referring to Koy as an “amazing comedian”
Image credits: Adam’s Apple
Michael Che even called for comedians to “boycott” award shows, arguing that actors “are too self-conscious to have a good time”
Image credits: Arturo Pardavila III
The Saturday Night Live comic continued: “They‘re way too self-conscious to have a good time,” before writing that celebrities “don’t even want to laugh.”
“They’re too busy thinking about their careers and their speeches and their ‘cause’… They think they wanna be made fun of, but they actually don’t. They actually just want their trophy. And a nice photo.”
Other stars who supported Koy included Melissa Rivers, Stephen A. Smith, and Howard Stern. In contrast, celebrities like Reneé Rapp—who recently starred in the 2024 Mean Girls musical film—and Days of our Lives actor Diedre Hall publicly disapproved of Koy’s jokes.
People defended Greta Gerwig and celebrated her “diplomatic” response
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