From: officialflagrant
Comedian Jo Koy recently hosted the Golden Globes, an experience that garnered significant online reactivity and left Koy himself not very proud of his performance [00:54:39]. He even expressed his unhappiness about it during an interview on Good Morning America [00:54:47].
The Difficult Nature of Hosting the Golden Globes
Hosting the Golden Globes is widely considered an “incredibly difficult job to win at” for any comedian [00:55:23]. Jo Koy faced several significant challenges:
- Limited Preparation Time He took on the role with only 10 days’ notice, a situation described as a “nightmare” given the audience [00:55:01].
- High Expectations Koy followed Ricky Gervais, who delivered what is arguably considered the best version of that show ever [00:55:08].
- The Audience Performing in front of the Golden Globes crowd means facing “quite possibly the worst crowd to perform in front of” [00:55:36]. This audience, primarily composed of self-absorbed actors and filmmakers, is acutely aware of the cameras and often plays up their reactions, making genuine, candid moments rare [00:55:54]. They are constantly thinking about their next movie, awards, clients, and networking, rather than focusing on the jokes [00:58:02].
Comparison with Ricky Gervais’s Approach
Ricky Gervais succeeded by adopting a strategy of not caring [00:57:15]. His opening remarks often conveyed a sentiment of “I don’t want to be here, I don’t give a sht, I don’t care about this,” which was “intoxicating to people in Hollywood” because they “give so much of a sht” [00:57:55]. Gervais, in his fourth or fifth time hosting, understood the room would react with groans [00:59:36], and he didn’t care if his jokes landed perfectly [00:58:40]. This approach put him in the best position to “troll” the audience [00:59:48].
Conversely, Jo Koy genuinely cared about his performance, seeing it as an “important moment for him and his family” [00:59:01]. When the audience’s reaction wasn’t what he expected, it “rattled him a little bit” [00:59:12]. Koy is accustomed to performing for large arena crowds of 10,000-15,000 people and “destroying” with laughter [01:03:08]. The Hollywood audience, however, doesn’t want to be charmed, as they “do the charming” [01:01:49].
Key Hosting Strategies
- Mockery: A host needs to “want to make them groan” and “make them uncomfortable” [00:59:52]. The audience is “a race to be second” in reacting, not wanting to be the first to laugh or appear to lack a sense of humor [01:02:25].
- Cutting Jokes: Jokes must be “amazing” and “let them know you don’t care if they like you or not” [01:00:12]. The initial jokes need to “slap” and “set a tone” [01:04:13].
- Acknowledging Reality: Ricky Gervais’s joke about Felicity Huffman and her license plate [01:04:22] immediately set a tone that he was “going at y’all” [01:04:41].
Jo Koy’s Performance and Aftermath
Jo Koy’s performance was not his best [01:03:36], and his reaction to the crowd’s reception was visible [00:59:42]. His decision to blame the writers when a joke didn’t land was criticized, as it felt like he was deflecting responsibility [01:08:31]. One notable joke that fell flat was about Taylor Swift: “What’s the difference between the NFL and the Golden Globes? The Golden Globes has fewer cutaways to Taylor Swift” [01:10:02]. Swift’s non-reaction led to a disproportionate negative response from her fanbase online [01:10:14].
Despite the initial negative reception, the hosts suggest that the widespread criticism might have inadvertently worked in his favor. The negative online reaction may have led to more people knowing about Jo Koy than if the show had been a complete success [01:09:25]. This exposure could potentially benefit his future shows, as his stand-up is generally considered great [01:02:58]. The perception of the performance was also likely worsened by online discourse; the actual event was “not close to as bad as how awful Twitter made it seem” [01:09:44].