Chelsea Handler’s Subtle Dig at Ex Jo Koy Was a Hit With the Celebs at the Critics Choice Awards

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Chelsea Handler just got an opportunity most of us only dream about—and I'm not talking just about hosting the Critics Choice Awards.

On January 14 the 48-year-old comedian hosted the prestigious event one week after her ex Jo Koy held the same position at the 2024 Golden Globes. If you follow pop culture at all, you probably know that Koy's jokes did not go over well on January 7. While the 52-year-old comic received nothing but a blank stare from Taylor Swift over his jab at her NFL screen time, his Barbie joke elicited a much worse reaction from his audience of A-listers.

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My blood just ran cold.

After reducing Barbie to a movie about a “plastic doll with big boobies,” Koy appeared to get defensive over the crowd's tepid response. “Yo, I got the gig 10 days ago,” he said onstage. “You want a perfect monologue? Yo, shut up. Slow down. I wrote some of these and they're the ones you're laughing at.”

While Handler didn't mention Koy during her opening monologue, she did appear to reference his apparent attempt to shift blame onto his writing team.

After shouting out “total smoke shows” Robert De Niro and Harrison Ford, Handler lamented the absence of another Hollywood icon. “Unfortunately, Martin Scorsese isn't here tonight, but that's not going to stop me from letting everyone in this room know that I would toss him around like a little Italian meatball,” she joked before adding, “Thank you for laughing at that. My writers wrote it.”

Let's just say the crowd seemed to understand the reference, especially Barbie star Will Ferrell. You can watch for yourself here.

Chelsea Handler announced her split from Jo Koy with an earnest Instagram post in July 2022 after 11 months of dating. “It is with a heavy heart to announce that we have decided together that it is best for us to take a break from our relationship right now,” she wrote. “This man blew my heart open with love and because of him, my life experience has changed forever. To be loved and adored by @jokoy has been one of the greatest gifts of my life. He renewed my faith in men, in love, in being 100% who I am, and I’ve never been more optimistic for the future.”

She continued, “This is not an ending. It’s another beginning, and it’s a comfort to know that I am still loved and love this man the way the sun loves the moon and the moon loves the sun. YOUR PERSON IS COMING.”

A few days later Handler addressed the split on the We Can Do Hard Things podcast. “I love him, and he’s on his own path,” she told host Glennon Doyle, per Us Weekly. “If I have to choose one person, I have to choose myself.”

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Taylor Swift can rest easy knowing that a self-professed Swiftie is hosting the show this year.

Originally Appeared on Glamour