Jo Koy has claimed that he’s a Taylor Swift fan after he faced backlash over his NFL joke at the 2024 Golden Globes.
The 52-year-old comedian, whose full name is Joseph Glenn Herbert Sr., hosted the 81st annual award ceremony on Sunday (January 7).
Koy didn’t hold back in his opening monologue as he made jokes ranging from Oppenheimer's running time to Barbie being about a "plastic doll with big boobs".
At one point, Koy even attempted to joke about the 34-year-old 'Karma' artist's displays of support for her NFL player beau, Travis Kelce - whom she started dating a couple of months ago.
Watch the moment below:Speaking to the audience, the comic said: "The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL? On the Golden Globes, we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift... there’s just more to go to here."
The camera then panned to the pop star, who could be seen with an unimpressed expression before taking a sip from her drink.
Of course, the Swifties came out in full defense as they took to social media to slam Koy, with one user writing: "Omg, Taylor Swift’s death stare before sipping champagne at the #GoldenGlobes perfectly embodies Jo Koy’s cringey hosting job."
Another fan remarked: "That death glare Taylor Swift gave Jo Koy after his little camera angle comment… GIRL, that man better say some prayers or something because if looks could bring misfortune, it’s that one."
After the ceremony, the first-time host spoke with Entertainment Tonight at Billboard's Golden Globes after-party where an interviewer brought up the moment which exploded on the internet.
Speaking about the criticism online, Koy clarified: "Aww, man, it was cute. I was just saying it was cute. I was just saying it's less cutaways, that's all."
The interviewer then quipped that maybe the 'Karma' songstress was "thirsty" which is why she drank her champagne when the camera panned to her after the host's joke.
"Aww, man," Koy added, smiling.
The stand-up comedian also defended himself in his latest interview with the Los Angeles Times, and pointed out that the joke was supposed to take a shot at the NFL and not the 'I Knew You Were Trouble' hitmaker.
He began by stating that "he didn't understand the Taylor [Swift] tiff," and specified: "But the whole intention of that joke was to make fun of the NFL. It’s like, the cool thing about the [Golden] Globes is we don’t need to do cutaways for ratings."
The host told the outlet that he was "just supporting Taylor," adding: "I support her, I love her work. I got nieces that I bought tickets for. There’s no ill intent in that joke."
"I’m not saying anything that no one’s saying, and it’s obvious what that joke was. It’s about the NFL. It’s like out of everything that has happened this is the one you choose to go after. I didn’t understand why because it was fun when I walked out," he continued.
Koy noted that Robert De Niro found his quip humourous but the Swift joke fell flat with her and her fans: "Robert De Niro was dying, like, and I’m looking at him and his wife was smacking his back and smiling, and laughing and he was laughing... And then I did that [Swift] joke and I’m like, what just happened?"