Jo Koy's Hosting of the Golden Globes Is Just a Speedbump in an Already Successful Career

When I heard Jo Koy had been asked to host this year’s Golden Globes, my first thought wasn’t how cool it was for a Filipino-American to get the gig but, uh-oh, it’s less than two weeks to the event, everybody else (including eventual winner Ali Wong) said no. Good luck; you’re gonna need it. 

Historically, hosting awards shows are planned many weeks or several months in advance because they are tough to do. Jokes are constantly written and re-written depending on what’s happening and who’s scheduled to appear. My nephew is into stand-up with his little black book of jokes, and he keeps rehearsing them with us for weeks, each delivery different just to make sure he can land the joke. The Jean Smart top-lined TV show Hacks is a spot-on representation of the stand-up comic’s schtick, especially how long it takes to get it right. In this case, there simply wasn’t enough time.  

Also, a talk show host monologue is one and done, mostly fluff with mild potshots and feel-good punchlines with the occasional zingers. Stand-up comedy monologues are, by definition, rhetorical performances with crowd interaction using one-liners, stories with set-up, observations or even improv to engage. Jokes are repeated with audience reaction helping fine-tune the act. The Globes wasn’t that kind of audience.

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‘I Feel Bad:’ What Jo Koy Has to Say About His Golden Globes Hosting Gig

First few jokes into the show and Jo Koy was already on shaky ground, and it would only get rougher. There were some amusing punchlines here and there, but a lot was falling flat, or, as many have said, cringe-worthy.  Someone who goes to stand-up shows knows they are in for a wicked time, possibly some mocking all in the spirit of fun. For the performer, the audience are unknown faces so the hilarity is never quite personal no matter how ‘in your face’ it is. But when you have a roomful of an industry’s who’s whos, with egos to boot, a lot of it can end up being personal.

Whoopi Goldberg, a stand-up comedian in her own right had this to say earlier in The View: “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.”

The Academy Award-winning actress and awards show host (she emceed the Oscars four time) adds, “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.”

Many comics have often said how tough it is to do comedy now with people so sensitive and politically correct, taking offense at practically anything.

A stand-up comedian feeds off the audience and when the vibe is mixed to downright bad, it affects their rhythm. Jo Koy actually started more confidently with excitement, but it was mostly downhill after that. And to be fair, he is not the first one to bomb as a host. Comedians from the venerable Saturday Night Live stable who were tapped for hosting were savaged for their efforts and even the likes of David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers, Chris Rock, and Ellen Degeneres have been hit-and-miss over the years with tamer monologues. Only Ricky Gervais has been really edgy, but he has had years to master the balance between a stand-up audience and the showbiz elite.

Not the venue for his style 

The Golden Globes was not the crowd for Jo koy’s stand-up style so it makes you wonder why he would accept the stint.  

First, it definitely makes sense to go broad. Who wouldn’t want to be seen by millions? Jo Koy got a major platform exposure (the Globes broadcast are up 50 percent with an audience over nine million) with one appearance. But it’s tricky as you can nail it or drown and everywhere in between in front of millions.

Second, many of those criticizing him never even heard of Jo Koy before in the first place, and this was their first exposure to his brand of comedy. Good or bad, they now know the name. 

Third, the people who watch his sold-out shows probably don’t watch the Globes anyway and what they want to see is the Jo Koy who is in your face and doing riffs, not the watered-down Globes version. 

Yes, Jo Koy’s hosting gig wasn’t good like we hoped for, but the extremeness of the criticism is also overboard. A lot of it is likely disappointment since people were hoping he would make a splash in his big mainstream break.  

In the end, this is just a speedbump to a career that has lasted for years. Jo Koy’s followers will still be there, and the notoriety of the Globe’s gig has made him more recognizable to several millions who never heard of him, and just maybe will end up watching a more comfortable Jo Koy in one of his shows and find that he ain’t so bad. 

And when his next big hit comedy special or performances come, his hosting of the 2024 Globes will just be a footnote. After all, you are only as good as your last one. Just ask any showbiz personality who has bombed and made a comeback.

Leo P. Katigbak is a veteran of the local broadcast industry. He is currently the head of ABS-CBN's Film Restoration unit.