Steve Martin defends Jo Koy following 'horrid' Golden Globes hosting

MANILA, Philippines — Comedian-actor Steve Martin is the latest high-profile individual to back Filipino-American comedian Jo Koy after the latter was criticized for his underwhelming hosting of the 2024 Golden Globes.

Jo Koy's opening monologue at the Globes received a lukewarm reception from the star-studded crowd, and it only got worse from there after he went off-script to say he didn't write some of the jokes the audience weren't laughing at.

"Some I wrote, some other people wrote," Jo Koy said during the ceremony. "Yes, I got the gig 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."

Despite the ceremony having better views than the year before, many viewers found Jo Koy's hosting to be flat and unfunny at times. Some said they were unconvinced that he was capable of hosting duties despite his stand-up success.

Martin, a three-time Oscars host, took to the social media platform Threads to express his support for his fellow comedian.

"I tip my hat to anyone who steps out on stage to host a live awards show," Martin said. "It's a very difficult job and not for the squeamish. I know because I'm still throwing up from the last time I did it in 2010."

He personally congratulated Jo Koy for taking on "the toughest gig in show business, hit, missed, was light on his feet, and now has 20 minutes of new material for his stand up!"

The comedian's comments came after another Oscars host, Whoopi Goldberg, came to Jo Koy's defense and reiterated how brutal hosting an awards show can be.

"If you don't know the room, if you've not been in these rooms before and you're sort of thrust out there. It's hit or miss," Goldberg said on her show "The View."

Martin was nominated at this year's Globes in the Best Actor in a Musical/Comedy Series for "Only Murders in the Building" along with his co-star Martin Short, but they both lost to back-to-back winner Jeremy Allan White from "The Bear."

"Oppenheimer" took home five awards, including Best Film - Drama, Best Director for Christopher Nolan, and acting plums for stars Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey, Jr.

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