Although no one can really say that Jo Koy’s monologue during the intro to the 2024 Golden Globes was exactly “bangin’”—filled as it was with thud-landing jokes and Koy himself laughing at how bad they were and frequently apologizing—one of the moments that was actually least offending to humor sensibilities was the half-attempt at making fun of Taylor Swift for her constant presence at Travis Kelce’s NFL games. Indeed, were fans not so convinced of her “dutiful girlfriend” tendencies, they might think she was being paid off by the NFL to make football have more appeal to an audience it never previously did before. All of whom are waiting for an inevitable breakup album laden with none too subtle football metaphors (please god, don’t let the album be called Tight End…even though that’s exactly what Swift has when it comes to jokes).
That said, Koy “went along with” (a.k.a. was paid handsomely for) reciting a joke he would likely attribute to the Golden Globes writers, throwing them under the bus whenever something was met with silence. It went like this: “The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL? On the Golden Globes, we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift. I swear. There’s just more to go to.”
And, of course, the camera then flashed to Swift’s visual response to that, which was so dripping with contempt it was a wonder she herself didn’t melt to the floor as a result of her barely-concealed hot rage. But what was really to be so upset about? This was hardly on the same level as another joke made about Swift on the first season of Netflix’s Ginny & Georgia back in 2021. With Swift reacting to Ginny’s (Antonia Gentry) dig at her mother, Georgia (Brianne Howey), about going through men faster than Taylor Swift by tweeting, “Hey Ginny & Georgia, 2010 called and it wants its lazy, deeply sexist joke back. How about we stop degrading hard working women by defining this horse shit as FuNnY. Also, @netflix after Miss Americana this outfit doesn’t look cute on you 💔 Happy Women’s History Month I guess.” Her passive aggressive conclusion to the statement is in keeping with her usual brand of white martyrdom. One that has played out nicely over the years since Ye “attacked” her onstage at the 2009 VMAs. And while, yes, Ye (then going by his Christian name, Kanye West) was totally in the wrong for doing what he did, one can’t help but speculate about whether or not the reaction to it would have been just a bit tamer had it been a white man who interrupted Swift.
In her latest edition of Being Done Wrong By a Joke, most were quick to side with Swift’s facial reaction that spoke a thousand expletive-filled words. Not just because it was a no-brainer to cite the joke as “bad,” some hardy-har-har, yuk-yuk-yuk fare your uncle might tell at a family function and you’d be forced to laugh along with it. But because it was, “at its core,” sexist (which anything is at its core if we want to dig deep enough…though most don’t). Swift, however, was not at a family function with her uncle, but a very public event where, in truth, she might have expected to be a target. The idea that she wasn’t expecting a joke to be made about her is possibly a sign that she feels she’s become untouchable. Alas, the “joke” in question is the price one pays for attending a ceremony with an opening monologue from a comedian (or someone posing as a comedian). Did anyone come to Robert De Niro’s defense about the joke Koy made regarding becoming a father at seventy-nine? Couldn’t that be interpreted as “ageist”? Not when many were too busy worrying about Swift being able to handle the comment directed at her. Because, once again, people are viewing it as a form of “shaming” Swift for her always active dating life. As a result, the joke has been blown way out of proportion. As though Koy said something directly related, somehow, to her so-called promiscuity.
Indeed, considering other jokes that have been about Swift on that front, this one was utterly harmless. For example, back at the 2013 Golden Globes, when Tina Fey and Amy Poehler co-hosted, it was the former who said, “You know what Taylor Swift, you stay away from Michael J. Fox this time!” Swift’s response to that “dig” materialized in a Vanity Fair cover story that came out soon after, when she quoted Katie Couric to Nancy Jo Sales by saying, “There’s a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.” So yeah, Swift isn’t known for handling jokes about her all that well, especially if they relate to her dating history. Which is somewhat ironic because it’s kind of, like, her thing. Fey wasn’t one to back down on making yet another joke about Swift’s over-the-top reaction, hugging Poheler at the Golden Globes a year later when they co-hosted anew and quipping, “I just wanna say congratulations again to my friend Amy Poehler. I love you and there’s a special place in hell for you.”
Thus, Taylor has become somewhat notorious for having a stick up her ass every time anyone says even a hint of an unkind word, from Katy Perry to Damon Albarn. The one person she didn’t seem to react to bringing her love life into a joke was Barack Obama at the 2013 White House Correspondents’ Dinner, during which he remarked, “Republicans fell in love with this thing, and now they can’t stop talking about how much they hate it. It’s like we’re trapped in a Taylor Swift album.” Letting that comment slide perhaps proves that there are only certain men of color Swift is willing to stare daggers at, and Jo Koy happened to be one of them.
Although Koy is by no means a “gifted” comedian (complete with a voice that utterly grates), the specific backlash against the comment he made about Swift makes one want to remind the world of something Madonna once said: “You know what I have to say to America? Get a fucking sense of humor, okay? Lighten up!” Even when something isn’t particularly funny, a person doesn’t have to act as though someone just took a huge shit all over their head, or as though Kanye West just jumped on the stage and interrupted them.
