The 81st Annual Golden Globe Awards has concluded for this year after a night celebrating excellence in international film and television. This year the ceremony took place at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles – as it has done since 1961 – on the 7th of January, presenting accolades to numerous, talented individuals in the acting industry. However, many viewers were disappointed with this year’s host: stand-up comedian, Jo Koy.
The 52-year-old received backlash from ‘Barbie’ fans on social media after he compared the live-action comedy film to the biographical thriller, ‘Oppenheimer’ saying, “Oppenheimer is based on a 721-page, Pulitzer Prize-winning book about the Manhattan Project. And Barbie is based on a plastic doll with big boobies”, subtly slating the Barbie film in front of the film’s director and cast members with some viewers claiming that Koy’s sexist joke proved the point the film was trying to make perfectly. This statement came just a few days after Barbie star, America Ferrera, expressed how especially important the Barbie film is for ‘generations of girls’ being raised in a patriarchal society who need “Feminism 101” and “don’t have words for the culture they are being raised in,” she told the New York Times.
After the event, lots of viewers took to social media to express their unimpressed attitudes towards the so-called ‘joke’, calling it ‘misogynistic’ and ‘disgusting’ as many of the celebrities in attendance were pictured looking visibly unamused. A substantial number of viewers thought this was an unfair comparison to make between the two films as it compares a film directed by a man to another directed by a woman. Additionally, the success of the Barbie movie cannot be understated after it grossed over US$1 billion in its first three weeks of being released, ultimately beating Oppenheimer after the two films were released on the same day. However, Barbie and Oppenheimer both went on to win a Golden Globe later on in the evening – Barbie for box office achievement and Oppenheimer for best drama.
But this begs the question, has social media escalated this situation beyond what is necessary?
After the incident, Greta Gerwig, the director of the Barbie film, responded to Koy’s disparaging monologue during an interview on BBC Radio saying, “Well, he’s not wrong. She’s the first doll that was mass-produced with breasts, so he was right on”. One Reddit user said, “she just wrapped it up and it allows for everyone to move on from this” whilst others have praised the award-winning director for her classy response.
Alongside Gerwig’s response, Jo Koy has also commented on the situation stating that the audience’s response to his jokes had ‘hurt’. But is this backlash to be expected when you’re hosting an awards ceremony, and you aren’t a globally-renowned comedian? Several individuals have taken to social media to ask the question “Who is Jo Koy?”, with little awareness of the comedian’s background before he came to light after hosting the Golden Globes. Is it possible that the media has given Jo Koy a negative reputation through misinterpreting his harmless comedy as offensive and insensitive?
Launching a lesser-known comedian into a famous event that is guaranteed to amass widespread attention will always generate some backlash, but it seems that Barbie fans have majorly escalated an otherwise mindless comment into a situation that has evidently left director Greta Gerwig completely unphased.
By Charlotte Yr9
Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School, Alford
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