Jo Koy questions Taylor Swift’s ‘stern’ reaction to Golden Globes joke that left singer ‘unimpressed’

‘I didn’t understand the tiff,’ comedian said of ‘hurtful’ backlash to controversial quip

Jo Koy, the comedian who hosted the Golden Globes, has questioned why Taylor Swift didn’t laugh at a joke made at her expense in the opening skit.

Despite support from Steve Martin and Barbie director Greta Gerwig, Koy has been widely panned for his hosting gig – a role he accepted just 10 days before the awards took place on Sunday 7 January. While Koy has apologised for blaming his team of writers when his gags fell flat, one criticism he’s struggling to comprehend involves a joke he made at the expense of Swift.

Swift was in attendance as her concert film, The Eras Tour, was nominated in the Best Cinematic and Box Office Achievement category and, addressing her recent presence at NFL games in support of her boyfriend Travis Kelce, Koy quipped: “The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL? On the Golden Globes, we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift.”

When the camera cut to Swift, she appeared unimpressed with the joke and, instead of laughing, took a sip of her drink with a “stern” look on her face.

Koy has now reflected on the “Shake It Up” singer’s reaction as well as the ensuing “hurtful” criticism he received online, saying he “didn’t understand the tiff” as “the whole intention of that joke was to make fun of the NFL”.

On Thursday (11 January), the comedian told The Los Angeles Times the joke was unrehearsed and “was getting rewritten 50 million times... all the way up until we had to walk out”.

He said: “What hurts the most is me just supporting Taylor, I support her, I love her work. I got nieces that I bought tickets for. There’s no ill intent in that joke. The joke is about the NFL and how they keep using cutaways to [her]. And it’s an obvious reason why. I’m not saying anything that no one’s saying, and it’s obvious what that joke was. It’s about the NFL.”

Koy – real name Joseph Glenn Herbert Sr – questioned why this particular quip was called out, stating: “It’s like, out of everything that has happened, this is the one you choose to go after? I didn’t understand why because it was fun when I walked out.”

He recalled seeing Robert De Niro, whom he poked fun at for having a baby aged 80, laughing at his jokes in the crowd.

“Robert De Niro was dying, like, and I’m looking at him and his wife was smacking his back and smiling and laughing and he was laughing – and when I did the whole thing about him being 80, he loved it<’ the comedian said, adding: “And that was fun. I was like, ‘Man, this guy’s so much fun.’ And then I did that [Swift] joke and I’m like, ‘What just happened?’”

Taylor Swift wasn’t impressed with Jo Koy’s joke at her expense (Paramount+)

Before his joke about Swift, Koy took a few swipes at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. You can find a full list of this year’s Golden Globes winners here.