Jo Koy laughs off Taylor Swift’s icy stare after Golden Globes joke flops
‘I was just saying it was cute. I was just saying it’s less cutaways, you know what I mean? That’s all’
Taylor Swift didn’t appear like she was ready to shake it off after Golden Globes host Jo Koy tried (and failed) to make a joke about her during Sunday night’s awards ceremony.
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Gamely trying his best to be edgy like past emcee Ricky Gervais, Koy, 52, targeted Swift and her relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce during the broadcast. But his dig couldn’t make the pop star crack even the slightest smile.
“As you know, we came on after a football doubleheader. The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL — on the Golden Globes, we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift,” Koy joked. “I swear, there’s just more to go to.”
Cameras quickly cut to Swift, 34, who sat stone-faced at her table with pal Keleigh Teller and took a sip of her wine.
“Sorry about that,” the host said, trying to move past the hiccup.
But the moment quickly went viral, with British TV personality Piers Morgan tweeting, “If Taylor Swift death stares could actually kill, Jo Koy would now be deceased.”
Backstage, Golden Globe winner Emma Stone jokingly called out Koy for the joke. “What an a**hole, am I right?” she told reporters.
On Koy’s Instagram page, Swifties attacked the comic with one person blasting, “More Taylor Swift and less of you.”
“Congratulations! Now you’re becoming famous thanks to Taylor,” another fan dismissed. “Enjoy your 5 minutes of fame.”
“Every Swiftie in the world is coming to end you,” a third promised, with others calling the moment “the nail in the coffin” telling Koy to “Shut up” and “Get off the stage!!”
One detractor called the joke “unnecessary” and “not nice.”
“Being a host doesn’t mean insulting people,” they wrote. “It’s not a roast. There are classy ways to go about things.”
“That joke wasn’t even horrible,” another added. “But she just ended that guy’s career with one glare. ‘OH, you’re the guy Taylor Swift glared at on national television!’”
Olivia Levin, the creator of @swiftiesforeternity fan account, also panned the joke, writing: “Maybe they should cut more to Taylor, she is slaying in that dress!” she wrote.
Taylor Swift arrives for the 81st annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Jan. 7, 2024. PHOTO BY MICHAEL TRAN /AFP via Getty Images
On Monday morning, Howard Stern defended Koy from Swift’s army of fans, telling his listeners on his radio show, “social media has ruined comedy … you really got to not give a s***.”
Afterwards, Koy also tried to brush off the unfolding drama.
“Awww man, it was cute. I was just saying it was cute. I was just saying it’s less cutaways, you know what I mean? That’s all,” Koy told Entertainment Tonight.
“Maybe she was thirsty?” ET’s Denny Directo suggested of Swift’s reaction. “Maybe she just needed to drink the champagne.”
But the rest of Koy’s night didn’t go well either. His monologue was trashed on social media with one viewer lamenting it was “like watching a car crash.”
Swift was nominated in the new Cinematic and Box Office Achievement category, which honours movies that have made $150 million at the box office worldwide.
Last month, Swift spoke about her newfound football fandom and the NFL’s coverage of her at the games in an interview with Time magazine.
“I have no awareness of if I’m being shown too much and pissing off a few dads, Brads and Chads … Football is awesome, it turns out … I’ve been missing out my whole life,” she joked.
Elsewhere Sunday night, online sleuths speculated about another viral moment involving Swift when her pal Selena Gomez was captured at her table telling the Cruel Summer singer about her encounter with Timothee Chalamet and his girlfriend Kylie Jenner.
“‘I asked for a picture with him and she (Jenner) said NO,’” one social media user attempting to read Gomez’s lips speculated. Another angle of the clip allegedly showed Teller seemingly saying, “With Timothee?” with Gomez nodding in response.
“Selena with the gossip” and “I just love Taylor’s face” others wrote of the exchange.
But even though her army of fans were murdering Koy on social media, Swift didn’t let the comedian’s joke ruin her night. She was captured laughing when Jim Gaffigan presented an award for Best Comedy Special and posing for selfies with Gomez and Bill Hader. She also hopped out of her seat and clapped wildly when Barbie bested her Eras movie in the Cinematic and Box Office Achievement category.
