Opinion: The 2023 Golden Globes did not hit its punchline

We all know the renowned annual award ceremony that is the Golden Globes. It brings iconic fashion, suspenseful announcements, and meaningless yet viral drama. Not only did the 2023 Golden Globes have drama, but it also had questionable award winners and the worst “comedic” speeches. 

“His comment [about Barbie] is exactly why the movie was made in the first place,” said OH senior Kaitlyn Nichols. 

Joseph Glenn Herbert, known professionally as Jo Koy, hosted the 2023 Golden Globes. Although Koy was not the only one to make an unsuccessful attempt at a joke, his was the most noticeable. 

Koy started his set by praising the rich history behind the creation of Oppenheimer but then proceeded to make an extremely objectifying statement regarding the film Barbie. “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,” said Koy.

Barbie is of course about the iconic children’s doll made by Mattel. However, the twist in the film caught many by surprise, including myself. The film was meant to point out the flaws in our own world by empowering women and mocking patriarchy. Along with many other important lessons that are discussed later in the article, the entire premise of the story was disregarded at the hands of, you guessed it, a man. 

According to Entertainment Weekly, Koy said, “There’s a lot of greats that make rookie moves and 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.”

Are you sure they had your back, Jo? Not to mention Koy contradicted himself with this statement by openly blaming his writers for the lack of laughter during the Globes. 

“Yo, I got the gig 10 days ago,” he said. “You want a perfect monologue? Yo, shut up. Slow down. I wrote some of these and they’re the ones you’re laughing at.”

In addition to the poorly written joke about Barbie, Koy made a distasteful comment about Taylor Swift as well, drawing attention to her relationship with Kansas Chiefs Tight End, Travis Kelce.

“The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL? At the Golden Globes, we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift,” Koy said.

According to CNN Entertainment, Koy was unaware that his comment was problematic and explained that he was just using a joke that had already been used many times before. 

The issue at hand is not solely placed on Koy, but instead is a recurring theme in modern pop culture to make jokes at the expense of strong, successful women. More often than not, men will limit these women to their looks or relationship status, something that Taylor Swift is not a stranger to. 

At the same award show, just hours later, Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning used Taylor Swift as part of their joke as well, however, they noted her success instead. 

“Luke, you know the difference between Taylor Swift and the New York Jets?” asked Peyton Manning, setting up Bryan for the punchline.

“Taylor can sell out a stadium,” Bryan continued. 

As seen by Bryan and Manning, it is extremely easy to make a joke about Taylor Swift, or any other successful female, without demeaning her. The thing is, this simple switch in comedic style requires a larger shift in the way that society views women.

The Barbie movie was created to bring hope and light to women’s struggles and the lack of appreciation they receive for how they persevere against adversity daily. 

However, people clearly did not understand the film and continued to prove Barbie’s point through their actions. The Golden Globes were not the only award show feeding into poor treatment of women. 

According to Entertainment Weekly, “I’m Just Ken,” by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, won Best Song at the 2024 Critics Choice Award, over the song “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell, among other songs. 

“What Was I Made For?” depicts how it feels to be engulfed in the struggles and expectations of being a woman. “I’m Just Ken” was a comedic song written as a male character’s way to boost his self-confidence after being treated in the same way that men treat women.

Eilish’s song was set to encapsulate the roller coaster of emotions viewers felt throughout the film as a pivotal finale. “Im Just Ken”, however, was not designed to hold nearly as much weight. 

Then came the Oscars. Despite its incredible success, Barbie failed to be nominated for film of the year. Additionally, Margot Robbie was not nominated for Best Actress. The cherry on top of the entire situation is that Ryan Gosling was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. 

Each of these award shows has proven, once again, that the success of women will always be overshadowed by that of a man. 

All in all, the Golden Globes have some good and many bad. There is a way to announce a joke without being demeaning and at someone else’s expense. If you want to see a real joke, watch the 2023 Golden Globes. And if you want to see our genuine reaction to the entire show, watch Ryan Gosling’s reaction to “I’m Just Ken” winning Best Song at the 29th Critics’ Choice Awards.