Whoopi Goldberg, Howard Stern defend Jo Koy’s Golden Globes hosting
Whoopi Goldberg, Jo Koy, and Howard Stern | Image: @whoopigoldberg @jokoy @@howard_stern
updated Jan 10, 12:42 p.m.
Despite the flak received by Filipino-American comedian Jo Koy for his controversial 81st Golden Globes hosting, several internationally known celebrities like Whoopi Goldberg, Howard Stern, and local personalities such as John Arcilla came to the stand-up comic’s defense.
During an episode of his radio show on January 8, Stern shared his thoughts on Jo Koy’s hosting gig, mentioning that no one in Hollywood wants to do the job, resulting in the comedian having little time to prepare.
“I think Jo Koy got the gig 10 days before the Golden Globes because nobody wants to host this thing. High-profile comedians reportedly turned down the gig, including Chris Rock. This shows is a difficult thing to do,” he said.
Stern noted that he felt sad for Jo Koy as the others get enough time to prepare for hosting big events like this, unlike the Fil-Am, who only got 10 days.
“You can’t make fun of anybody anymore. I feel bad for the dude because of the 10 days of preparation. I have talked to Jimmy [Kimmel] about this, and he did such a great job with the Academy Awards, but he prepared for like six months,” he shared.
Robert de Niro, Meryl Streep
The American broadcaster further pointed out that legendary actor Robert De Niro was laughing at Jo Koy’s punchlines, noting that it’s hard to stand up in a room full of people who don’t want to be joked about.
“Standing up there and telling those jokes with a bunch of people who don’t want to be laughed at is the biggest bummer in the world. I was watching this guy do his thing last night. He was talking about Robert De Niro, who was laughing hysterically. King De Niro could have been stone cold, but he seemed to like it,” said Stern.
Like De Niro, Meryl Streep was also called by Jo Koy during his spiel, saying that his mother even castigated him for not having thought it would be Streep who would win the Golden Globe because “she always wins.” The veteran actress would be seen on video laughing at Jo Koy’s joke, and she even did the “Wakanda Forever” hand stance as the comic told her to.
Tough room
Erstwhile Academy Awards host and EGOT (Emmy, Golden Globes, Oscars, Tony awards) titleholder Whoopi Goldberg also defended Jo Koy during the Monday telecast of her show, “The View.” She explained that hosting is a cruel job, noting her admiration for the comedian who she believed did a good job hosting the 2024 Golden Globe.
“For the first time, stand-up comedian Jo Koy took on the hosting duties, and it was a tough room for him. These gigs and these hosting gigs are brutal. If you don’t know the room, if you’ve not been in these rooms before and you’re thrust out there, it’s hit or miss,” she said.
“I love Jo Koy, he makes me 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. But I do know that he is as good as it gets when it comes to stand-ups and it is not an easy gig,” added the four-time Oscar winner and two-time Golden Globe awardee.
READ: Steve Martin salutes Jo Koy after Golden Globes hosting stint
Filipino connection
Meanwhile, award-winning Filipino actor John Arcilla also expressed his support for Jo Koy by penning a lengthy post on Instagram, saying that the Fil-Am’s stint was just the usual scheme at the event and noting that the comedian was able to pull it off.
“I have watched many Golden Globe Awards videos, and they have the usual roastings of guest actors and nominees, which made me really feel that Jo Koy’s stint was neither bad nor totally flat at all. Well, he’s maybe a little apologetic at times, which I think saved some of the “uncomfortable” moments, but he was able to pull it off,” Arcilla said.
The award-winning Filipino actor claimed that Jo Koy’s hosting was not as bad as people painted it to be as he reminded everyone to be mindful of their feedback.
“As a Filipino, it was not bad at all, and forget the 10 day prep, because here in the Philippines you get the script a day before or on the day itself. Let’s just keep our eye on the feedback. But then it is just how I saw it at the end of the day,” he said.
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Fil-Am singer Kris Lawrence also spoke on behalf of the comedian, saying Jo Koy’s haters are going to hate and Filipinos should be proud of the comedian’s hosting effort.
“Haters will always hate because they hate themselves. Hosting in front of top-notch celebrities and being the minority is not okay. The truth is, Jo Koy is killing it, and we, Filipinos, need to be proud. Keep killin’ it, Jo Koy. Mabuhay ka!”
Kris Lawrence defending Jo Koy | Image: @inquirerdotnet IG comments
Filipino Entertainment reporter Ogie Diaz also pitched in to defend the comedian, saying that Jo Koy’s hosting was good enough for him as jokes are not meant to be taken seriously.
“Pinanood ko, okay, naman sa akin. Pipikunin ka lang talaga ng joke ni Jo Koy, pero dapat bang seryosohin, eh joke nga yon? Sa palagay nyo kaya, kung hindi si Jo Koy ang nag-host ng awards night, ganun pa rin kaya kaingay ang episode na ‘yon ng Golden Globes?” he claimed.
Wasted opportunity
Despite the defense pouring in from netizens and different online personalities, Gretchen Ho said Jo Koy’s Golden Globe hosting, especially his remark that seemed to pass the blame on his writers, was a “wasted opportunity” given the backlash.
“Hosts are always, always responsible for their scripts. Whether it’s your own or not, at the end of the day, it’s your face and career on the line. This was such a huge stage and a wasted opportunity,” Ho wrote.
She also reshared on X (formerly Twitter) another user’s post urging Golden Globes to do better than Jo Koy’s reference to the Barbie movie as being based on a “doll with big boobies.”
The Greta Gerwig film, starring Margot Robbie, was well celebrated for becoming the highest-grossing film of 2023 and the 14th highest-grossing film of all time.
