“Barbie,” “Oppenheimer,” “Poor Things”… these are just some of the year’s biggest successes that made their way to winning awards in the 2023 Golden Globes. Usually, discussion regarding any film awards show would be about its winning actors. However, the media shifted its spotlight this year to a different focal point: the show’s host, Jo Koy.
The purpose of the Golden Globe Awards is to celebrate the movies and shows on television in theaters, and streaming that have changed the trajectory of modern entertainment, as well as to congratulate the actors who put immense effort into their performances. Many viewers believe Jo Koy’s hosting contained humor that did quite the opposite, by belittling one of the highest-grossing films of 2023 and doing so with sexist commentary.
This was the comedian’s first appearance as a host for a grand awards show. Koy began his speech by expressing his gratitude and saying that he was grateful to host the event. As his speech progressed, he began making references to different actors and movies that had received the most attention in the media throughout the year.
As Koy spoke about both Barbie and Oppenheimer competing for cinematic box-office achievements, he said, “Oppenheimer is based on a 721-page Pulitzer Prize-winning book about the Manhattan Project and Barbie is on a plastic doll with big boobies.”
Gracie Cole, a first-year film and media major at Seattle University, feels that it is unfair to compare the two films, as they are very different in purpose and genre.
“Despite Mattel being a multi-billion-dollar company, the way Jo Koy phrased his joke made it feel insignificant and dismissive of the hard work behind it,” Cole said.
Fiona Mcgilly, a first-year honors student in the Society Policy and Citizenship track, believes that his joke was quite misogynistic.
“Jo Koy’s joke showed that he either didn’t see the Barbie movie or wasn’t paying much attention which is aggravating in itself, but so much worse considering he was hosting the Golden Globes,” Mcgilly said.
Coverage of the night also conveyed the audience’s disapproval of the joke by panning the camera onto specific actors to capture their reactions. Ryan Gosling, who plays Ken in the movie, was seen keeping a straight face. The lack of audience support then caused Koy to go off script in attempts to defend himself.
Kirsten Moana Thompson, professor and chair of film and media, believes that the media often exaggerates what occurs to create public discourse and shock value.
“I think most news and social media headlines are designed to create content based on pretty thin material, to manufacture conflict and tension where there is little evidence of it,” Thompson said.
Jo Koy’s comedy, which was meant to be lighthearted humor highlighting two of the biggest films of the year, turned into controversy regarding the misinterpretation of one of the movie’s values. This dispute is a keen example of the impact of humor at one’s expense can have in social gatherings, especially ones that are broadcast on television.
Nevertheless, both movies have won multiple awards and were very well-received and celebrated by their audiences. Oppenheimer won for Drama Motion Picture, Barbie won for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement, and actors from both movies were awarded for their roles as well.
