Chelsea Handler roasts Golden Globes host Jo Koy during Critics Choice opening monologue

Comedian referred to Koy’s much-maligned comment from Golden Globes ceremony

Chelsea Handler seemingly took a swipe at her ex-boyfriend Jo Koy on stage with a clever reference to his divisive Golden Globes hosting stint.

The comedian and former Chelsea Lately host took the reins at the Critics Choice Awards on Sunday (14 January), one week after Koy presented at the Golden Globes,

Handler, who dated Koy in 2021 before announcing their split the following year, referred to a controversial remark her ex made during his monologue, when he resorted to blaming his writers for jokes that failed to land.

The comedian told the crowd of A-listers: “I wrote some of these [jokes], and they’re the ones you’re laughing at!”

One week later, at the Critics Choice Awards, when the topic of older male Hollywood figures, Handler referred to Harrison Ford and Robert De Niro as “total smoke shows”.

She continued: “Unfortunately, Martin Scorsese isn’t here tonight, but that’s not going to stop me from letting everyone in this room know that I would toss him around like a little Italian meatball.”

It was then that Handler added: “Thank you for laughing at that. My writers wrote it.”

Chelsea Handler (Getty Images for Critics Choice)

Handler’s quip received extended applause from the audience, many of whom were also present at last weekend’s Golden Globes.

Koy, 52, was widely criticised for how he reacted to his punchlines receiving underwhelming responses from the crowd.

After viewers expressed their distaste at him for “throwing his writers under the bus”, Koy later walked his comment back by apologising to the Globes’ scriptwriting team.

Chelsea Handler and Jo Koy (Getty)

“I love my writers. I love all three of them and I shouted them out. And I told them like that was a moment right there where I’m just grasping. I love them and I can’t stop talking about them in every interview,” he told the Los Angeles Times.

“They busted their ass, man. There’s a lot of greats that make rookie moves. That was a rookie move. Those writers are dope and that was not my intention at all. They were amazing, they had my back and I need to make sure I fix that and I will, I always will.”

Koy, who has been a stand-up comic since the Nineties, was a last-minute addition to the Golden Globes roster, having scored the gig only two weeks prior.

Appearing on stage in St Louis over the weekend, Koy seemed to refer to the frosty feedback he received from celebrities at the Globes and complained of them being too “soft”.

“Lot of marshmallows, man. They’re delicious, but goddamn, they’re soft,” he noted. “I just come from a different time. I see the changes that are happening. I get it, but goddamn, can we f***ing laugh at ourselves?”