Images of the Barbie cast reacting to Golden Globe host Jo Koy’s bombing as he made misguided jokes about their hit film have gone viral. The cast and director Greta Gerwig appeared unamused by Koy’s opening monologue at the 81st Golden Globe Awards on Sunday night.
The controversy began when the host compared the box office and critical success to the summer’s other hit, Oppenheimer, directed by Christopher Nolan. “Oppenheimer was based on a 700-page Pulitzer Prize-winning book and Barbie is based on a plastic doll with big boobs,” Koy quipped. The broadcast then cut away to see a stone-faced Ryan Gosling, who played Ken in the film.
“The key moment in Barbie is when she goes from perfect beauty to bad breath, cellulite, and flat feet — or what casting directors call ‘character actor,'” a flailing Koy added. The cameras once again cut to Barbie cast and crew, underwhelmed by Jo Koy’s attempts at humor. Screen grabs of stars Gosling, Issa Rae, America Ferrera, Margot Robbie, and director Gerwig were shared on X (formerly Twitter).
The Internet Weighs in on Jo Koy’s ‘Barbie’ Jokes
Naturally, viewers flocked to X to share their amusement regarding the awkward moment. “Margot Robbie felt so bad for him in an empathetic way. Give her an award for that,” one fan joked. “Ryan looks didn’t even fake smile he was just plain uncomfy,” another agreed.
One Barbie fan noted that Jo Koy’s joke missed the main themes of the film. “I like how Greta’s face just says “That’s what you got from the movie?” they wrote.
When the joke failed to land, Koy attempted to shift the blame onto the show’s writers in an effort to defend himself. “Some I wrote, some other people wrote,” he pleaded on the Golden Globes stage.
“Yo, I got the gig 10 days ago! You want a perfect monologue? Yo, shut up! You’re kidding me, right? Slow down. I wrote some of these, and they’re the ones you’re laughing at,” he explained.
Naturally, Koy may be mindful of the fact that his awkward Taylor Swift joke could have potentially garnered negative sentiments from Swifties from all corners.
“As you know, we came on after a football doubleheader. The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL? At the Golden Globes, we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift,” Koy said in the opening monologue. The broadcast then cut to show Swift sipping on her drink, bad blood in her eyes.