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2024 Golden Globes host Jo Koy made headlines after his controversial opening monologue at the awards ceremony on Sunday, January 7. According to Variety, he began by saying how he wrote some of his jokes, and others penned some, since he got the gig only “10 days ago!"
“You want a perfect monologue? Yo, shut up. You’re kidding me, right? Slow down, I wrote some of these and they are the ones you are laughing at.”
The stand-up comedian then moved on to Saltburn star Barry Keoghan and his naked dancing scene in the film.
Jo Koy also took a dig at a few of the movies nominated at the 81st Golden Globes, including The Color Purple, which he described as “what happens to your butt when you take Ozempic.” He also called Greta Gerwig’s Barbie a film about “plastic doll with big b*obies.”
While Koy's opening monologue has garnered mixed reactions online, the focus has shifted to his journey to becoming the 2024 Golden Globes host.
Exploring the life and career of Jo Koy
Now 52 years old, Jo Koy is a stand-up comedian and actor born to a Filipina mother and a white American father and was raised in Seattle. However, later, he spent his formative years in places like Tacoma, Las Vegas, and even the Philippines, after his parents got divorced, as per the New York Post.
Originally named Joseph Glenn Herbert Sr., he changed his own name to Jo Koy after his maternal aunt called him “Jo Ko” as he revealed during one of his 2019 stand-up shows.
Being a college dropout and raised by a single mother, Koy had his fair share of struggles, including working several jobs, until he met Sopranos star Steve Schirripa, who advised him to move to Los Angeles to pursue a comedy career. Jo took his advice and landed at LA’s Laugh Factory, where he met comedian Tiffany Haddish, who turned his life around.
Soon, he began performing on an episodic basis on shows like The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Joy Behar Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Last Call With Carson Daly, Jamie Foxx: Laffapalooza and @Midnight With Chris Hardwick.
He even appeared on 100 episodes of Chelsea Handler’s late-night series, Chelsea Lately, on E!. In early 2017, he landed his first Netflix special, Jo Koy: Live from Seattle, and hasn’t looked back ever since.
So far, Koy has six Netflix specials, but he rose to fame with the 2019 Jo Koy: Comin In Hot which was shot in Hawaii. The following year, he grabbed another Netflix special, Joy Koy: In His Elements, which was filmed in Manila, the Philippines. His latest Netflix special is called Jo Koy: Live from the Los Angeles Forum, which was released in September 2022.
Besides, he also appeared in the 2023 film The Haunted Mansion and the 2022 movie Easter Sunday, which was produced by Steven Spielberg after the award-winning filmmaker reportedly enjoyed Koy's 2019 Netflix special. He also wrote his 2022 memoir, Mixed Plate, and appeared in TV shows such as Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens and Mr. Iglesias among others.
Jo also had his own world tours, namely the Funny Is Funny World Tour and the most recent Jo Koy World Tour – both successful. Additionally, he also gave voices in Netflix’s animated films, Leo and Monkey King, as per Variety.
Currently, he is on his Jo Koy World Tour (across the USA and Europe) and has two other shows scheduled to take place at Kia Forum. He has even bagged another Netflix special, which has begun filming since November in Brooklyn, reported New York Post.
It is noteworthy that Koy was married to Filipina-American songstress Angie King from 2003 to 2013 and the duo has a son named Joseph J. Herbert Jr. The comedian also dated fellow comic and actress Chelsea Handler from September 2021 to June 2022.
How Jo Koy reacted after landing the 2024 Golden Globes hosting gig
On December 21, 2023, Jo Koy was announced as the host of the 2024 Golden Globes which was broadcast live on the night of January 7, 2024, on CBS and is currently streaming on Paramount. Upon bagging the gig, Koy told USA Today it was his “childhood dream.”
“I’m now living something that I would watch as a kid, something that indirectly inspired me to do what I do, seeing everyone from Bob Hope to Billy Crystal to Whoopi Goldberg… Now, I’m in the captain’s seat and I’m loving it,” he added.
Likewise, he told Variety how he was going to host the awards ceremony by poking fun, but in a way “where we [Hollywood] are still celebrating.” Koy mentioned how he wanted to be subtle as the “industry got hit hard” and “Hollywood got shook,” due to the prolonged SAG-AFTRA strike, which is now over.
As per the New York Post, comedian and Academy Awards host Chris Rock was first offered to conduct the 2024 Golden Globes, but turned down the offer. Similarly, former hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler also rejected the gig, which is when the job went to Jo Koy.
