Luck of the draw only draws the unlucky, but Jo Koy did not mean to make Taylor Swift the butt of the joke.
The 2024 Golden Globes host defended his quip about the "Karma" singer at the star-studded ceremony, saying that the "whole intention of that joke was to make fun of the NFL" and the organization's habit of cutting away from football games to show Taylor cheering on her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce, in the crowd.
"There's no ill intent in that joke," he told the Los Angeles Times in an interview published on Jan. 11. "I'm not saying anything that no one's saying, and it's obvious what that joke was."
Jo said he "didn't understand" the backlash that followed—after all, he's a Swiftie himself.
"What hurts the most is me just supporting Taylor," the 52-year-old explained. "I support her, I love her work. I got nieces that I bought tickets for."
In fact, the Easter Sunday star admitted that he struggled with the joke leading up to the Jan. 7 show.
"Mind you, that one was just getting rewritten 50 million times, never ran it through, all the way up until we had to walk out," Jo, who previously shared he only had 10 days to prepare, noted. "It's just weird, where do you place it, and we kept hammering it and cutting it down."
But his comment about Taylor wasn't the only joke that didn't land well with some fans. At the ceremony, Jo also took a crack at Barbie during his opening monologue and described it as a story based on "a plastic doll with big boobies," drawing criticism that he may have missed the point of the film.
"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," he told the Times, explaining how his "whole goal is to try and change that type of narrative" with his comedy. "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."
For what it's worth, Barbie director Greta Gerwig believes Jo's take is "not wrong."
"She's the first doll that was mass-produced with breasts, so he was right on," the filmmaker said on the Jan. 10 episode of BBC Radio 4's Today. "And you know, I think that so much of the project, of the movie was unlikely because it is about a plastic doll."
For all the red carpet action at the Golden Globes, keep reading.
Florence Pugh
In custom Valentino dress and Tiffany & Co. jewelry.
Taylor Swift
In custom Gucci dress and De Beers jewelry.
Margot Robbie
In custom Giorgio Armani Privé dress and Lorraine Schwartz jewelry.
Oprah Winfrey
In Louis Vuitton dress and Chopard jewelry.
Emma Stone
In custom Louis Vuitton.
Timothée Chalamet
In Celine suit and Cartier jewelry.
Jennifer Lopez
In custom Nicole + Felicia Couture.
Selena Gomez
In custom Giorgio Armani Privé.
Hailee Steinfeld
In custom Prada.
Ryan Gosling
In custom Gucci.
Reese Witherspoon
In Monique Lhuillier dress, Jimmy Choo shoes and Tiffany & Co. jewelry.
Emily Blunt
In custom Alexander McQueen dress and Tiffany & Co. jewelry.
Angela Bassett
In Dolce & Gabbana dress and Lagos jewelry.
Brie Larson
In Prada dress and Kwiat jewelry.
Jennifer Lawrence
In Dior dress and Tiffany & Co. jewelry.
Dua Lipa
In Schiaparelli dress and and Tiffany & Co. jewelry.
America Ferrera
In custom Dolce & Gabbana dress and Harry Winston jewelry.
Jennifer Aniston
In Dolce & Gabbana.
Natalie Portman
In Dior dress and De Beers jewelry.
Jeremy Allen White
In Calvin Klein suit, Ferragamo shoes and Briony Raymond jewelry.
Ayo Edebiri
In custom Prada dress and Boucheron jewelry.
Naomi Watts
In Fendi dress and Harry Winston jewelry.
Amanda Seyfried
In custom Giorgio Armani Privé gown and Pomellato jewelry.
Billie Eillish
In Willy Chavarria outfit and Anita Ko jewelry.
Julia Garner
In Gucci.
Julianne Moore
In custom Bottega Veneta.
Quinta Bunson
In custom Balmain dress, Jimmy Choo shoes and Lorraine Schwartz jewelry.
Meryl Streep
In custom Valentino dress, Bella Rosa Collection bag and Fred Leighton jewelry.
Rachel Brosnahan
In custom Sergio Hudson dress and Swarovski jewelry.
Matt Bomer
In custom Brioni.