Stand-up comedian Jo Koy’s hosting performance at the Golden Globe Awards garnered a lot of mixed comments and reactions from celebrities, media personalities, and netizens.
To recap, the 52-year-old host of the 81st Golden Globe Awards threw jokes at the crowd. Some jokes were smart, while others did not elicit the expected laughter from the audience.
The comedian later on admitted that he was hurt by the criticism. “I’d be lying if I said it didn’t hurt. I hit like a little moment there: ‘Ahh, hosting is a tough gig.’ Yes, I’m a stand-up comic, but hosting is a different style”.
Although Jo Koy received flak from netizens, several celebrities and media personalities vouched for the comedian.
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“Nung sumikat si Jo Koy sa Netflix, proud na proud ang Pilipinas. Ngayong hindi nag swak sa Golden Globes sa mga jokes niya, binash na naman ng matatalas,” Logan said.
The fellow comedian pointed out a similar trend in other Filipino celebrities, such as Manny Pacquiao and Charice Pempengco. “Kapag pumalpak, tatawa tayo. Pero kapag kuminang, proud na proud tayo,” he said.
“Let’s give each other a chance. Take your pace. Move forward. Learn your lessons. Spread love. And make this world a better place,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, other media personalities also empathized with the Golden Globes host, stating that it was a tough gig.
American actor and comedian Whoopi Goldberg shared her takeaways on The View: “These hosting gigs are brutal. If you’ve not been in these rooms before and you’re sort of thrust out there, it’s hit or miss.”
“I love Jo Koy,” Goldberg said. “I don’t know whether it was the room or 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. It was not an easy gig.”
American television co-host Sara Haines agreed with Goldberg: “I love Jo Koy. The whole time I was nervous for him because he’s so funny and I think it’s a gig. He’s kind, he’s good, you know… all the things.”
Haines then addressed the crowd: “Get a sense of humor. We need to protect these national treasures called our comedians. Because life needs them. We need to stop binding them in, fencing them in.”
American television host Al Jackson also shared his opinions about Jo Koy’s performance: “We’ve all done gigs like this where you go out and you realize this is not a warm audience.”
“Jo’s used to going out to a warm audience because he’s earned that warm audience. In this situation, some people in that room probably didn’t know who he was, and I think he felt that coldness,” he said on the Daily Blast LIVE!
Jackson also went on to explain that this is not Jo’s audience, since everybody at the Golden Globes “knows each other” but “doesn’t know” Jo Koy, making it a challenging environment for the host.
“So, shoutout to Jo. He didn’t have the best set ever but it’s not like the end of the world,” he said. “Get back on stage tonight. You’ll be fine.”
