Jo Koy is 'happy' he hosted Golden Globes despite criticism: 'I did accept that challenge'

Jo Koy may not have tickled your funny bone at the Golden Globe Awards — and that's all right with him.

The stand-up comedian, who hosted Sunday’s Golden Globes, reflected on his widely panned performance in an interview with the Los Angeles Times published Thursday. Koy’s pop culture barbs during his opening monologue fell flat with viewers on social media and even celebrities at the event.

When asked to rate his performance, Koy — who purportedly had 10 days to prepare for the hosting gig — said he gives himself an "A-plus just based on the courage (to do it)."

"We were still writing up until they said we’re live," Koy said. "Absolute cold reads, never got a chance to work out anything. And this is not an excuse. I’m just trying to paint the picture because I don’t think people understand, in any situation, how is that geared towards winning?"

He doesn't regret taking the gig, though: "I’m happy I did it because I did accept that challenge."

The Filipino comic also took pride in the cultural representation he was able to bring to the Globes, an award show that has faced criticism in the past for its lack of racial diversity.

"I’m the first Asian to ever solo host. It’s 2024. I’m the first out of 81 years," Koy said. "Imagine if someone said yes before me. We’d still be at the 82nd Golden Globes and still no Asian as a solo host, so if I didn’t say yes, there still would never have been."

Jo Koy says there was no ‘ill intent’ behind Taylor Swift jab at Golden Globes

Koy raised eyebrows when he cracked a joke about pop superstar Taylor Swift and her highly-publicized romance with NFL player Travis Kelce.

"As you know, we came on after a football double header,” Koy said onstage. “The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL: On the Golden Globes, we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift, I swear.”

Swift, who’s made headlines for her numerous appearances at Kelce’s Kansas City Chiefs games, seemingly didn't react to the joke. The “Is It Over Now?” singer sipped her drink, appearing nonplussed.

"The whole intention of that joke was to make fun of the NFL," Koy told the LA Times. "It’s like, the cool thing about the Globes is we don’t need to do cutaways for ratings. What hurts the most is me just supporting Taylor. I support her; I love her work. I got nieces that I bought tickets for. There’s no ill intent in that joke."

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Jo Koy explains his ‘Barbie’ joke at Golden Globes

Koy also skewered Greta Gerwig's fantasy comedy "Barbie" during his opening monologue. He described the film, which stars Margot Robbie as the iconic children’s doll, as a movie about "a plastic doll with big boobies," which was met with unamused stares from Robbie and Gerwig.

"It was kind of weird being attracted to a plastic doll," Koy added as he turned to "Barbie" star Ryan Gosling. "It's just something about your eyes, Ryan."

Despite the joke’s snarky tone, Koy said the humor didn’t reflect his actual view of women.

"The things that are being said, it’s just like, man, I don’t think you understand who I am as a person, you know what I mean?" Koy told the LA Times. "Because if you’ve ever seen me, you’ll see just how much I praise and shine light on women, from my ex-wife to my mom. … I’m telling a joke — what happened to society where we can’t even joke with each other anymore?"

He added: "I bought the movie. I supported the movie. Yes, that’s the story that that doll needed. And I’m glad because now there’s people that look like my mom that can support that."

'I got the gig 10 days ago!': Jo Koy's Golden Globes opening monologue met with blank stares

Jo Koy says poking fun at writers during Golden Globes monologue was a ‘rookie move’

Sensing the lukewarm response to his monologue onstage, Koy joked about the short amount of time he had to prepare his material for the show.

"Yo, I got the gig 10 days ago. You want a perfect monologue?" Koy said during the ceremony. "I wrote some of these (jokes), and they’re the ones you’re laughing at."

But Koy told the LA Times the remark wasn’t intended as a dig toward the writers he worked with on the Golden Globes.

"There’s a lot of greats that make rookie moves. That was a rookie move," Koy said. “Those writers are dope, and that was not my intention at all. They were amazing. They had my back, and I need to make sure I fix that and I will. I always will."

Contributing: Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jo Koy explains Golden Globes jokes about Taylor Swift, 'Barbie'