Jo Koy Reacts to Taylor Swift’s Viral Response to His Joke About Her at the Golden Globes

Jo Koy’s joke about Taylor Swift didn’t really land on Sunday night, but he seems to be taking it in stride. Koy hosted the 2024 Golden Globes and had a few viral moments where his jokes fell flat, most notably one about Swift that she didn’t seem to like. Afterward, Koy laughed off the moment, apparently hoping that Swift wasn’t too offended.

Koy noted that the Golden Globe Awards telecast came immediately after a football game this year, and that the biggest intersection of the NFL and the entertainment industry right now is Swift’s new relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. He joked: “The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL? At the Golden Globes, we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift.” Koy was joking about how often the NFL broadcasts have been cutting to show Swift in the stands recently, but just then the Golden Globes put the camera on Swift as well. The singer did not laugh, but she raised her eyebrows and took a sip of her drink instead.

A clip of Koy’s joke and Swift’s reaction went viral on social media where most viewers seemed to agree that she was not a fan of this line at all. After the award show, Koy attended the Billboard after-party where he spoke with Entertainment Tonight reporter Danny Directo. When Directo asked him about that moment, Koy seemed disappointed but not too put out.

“Aww, man, it was cute. I was just saying it was cute,” Koy said. “I was just saying it’s less cutaways, that’s all.” Directo said: “Maybe she was thirsty? Maybe she just needed to drink the champagne,” to which Koy said again: “Aww, man.”

The joke may have hit a little too close to home for Swift who has received a surprising amount of sincere, unironic criticism for all of her NFL appearances this season. Some football fans have grumbled about Swift getting so much camera time when they want to watch the games, but Swift has no control over that. In an interview with Time, Swift said: “I’m just there to support Travis. I have no awareness of if I’m being shown too much and pissing off a few dads, Brads, and Chads.”

This joke might have been Koy’s most viral flop of the night, but it wasn’t the only one. The 52-year-old stand-up comic cracked jokes about Barbie that drew almost no response from the live audience, and had social media commenters cringing. Koy himself seemed to acknowledge that the jokes weren’t landing during his monologue, saying: “I got the gig 10 days ago, you want a perfect monologue? Yo, shut up.”

Still, Koy remains one of the most bankable live comedians in the country, with more streaming projects on the way. Some commenters theorized that Koy has become too used to performing for audiences of pre-existing fans, as they are pre-disposed to laugh at his jokes and his brand of humor. For a gig like this, they think a broader appeal is more necessary.