Jo Koy Qualifies Himself at the Golden Globes and Prepares for the Kia Forum Shows

There is still a look of hope in Jo Koy's eyes.

Just days after being criticized by the media for his performance hosting the 81st Golden Globes, Koy admits he's a little emotionally raw from the experience. He is still the same as always: ready to joke and laugh out loud. He smiles broadly during an interview with The Times in his Studio City office, looking around the space that includes a top-of-the-line recording studio and a mini stage with his logo emblazoned on one of the nearby walls. It is a space designed for him to prepare his material and also help him develop new comics. He hopes to make it a space where he can give back to the community.

“I want people who are struggling right now to be able to go to a place that is sick,” Koy said. “I used to do coffee shops and I remember how much I would hate going there. Because it's like he's trying to tell the punchline and this son of a bitch is grinding coffee grounds during the punchline or washing the dishes.”

Although the experiences of his early days as a comedian were humbling, he has been reflecting on how to continue moving forward after the awards show.

Instead of having months to prepare to host the Golden Globes, he had just 10 days to catch up on last year's movies and shows while also writing new material. The writers for it were not chosen until eight days before the show; They didn't enter a writers' room until two days before, and they finished the monologue the day before.

Jo Koy hosted the 81st Golden Globe Awards, which aired on CBS and Paramount+ on January 7, 2024.

(Sonja Flemming/CBS via AP)

“We kept writing until they said we were live,” Koy said. “Absolute cold reads, I never had a chance to figure anything out. And this is not an excuse, I'm just trying to paint the picture because I don't think people understand, in any situation, how does that go towards winning? If you wrote that situation on a piece of paper and said, 'Do you want to do this?' I guarantee everyone would say 'No'. “I’m happy I did it because I accepted that challenge.”

Koy has spent the last few days reflecting on his 35 years in comedy and bringing more Filipino culture into the mainstream with multiple tours and Netflix specials, particularly with his jokes about his mother and relatives.

Next month he will bring plenty of real-life material to his fans during back-to-back shows at the Kia Forum on February 16 and 17 to kick off a five-month world tour. The shows at the Forum will make him the stand-up that has headlined the Inglewood venue the most times.

The Times caught up with Koy, who discussed the Globes drama and talked about his new tour, the process of putting his show together and what's next for him.

What did your mom say about the Golden Globes?

It's so beautiful to receive a text message from my mom. He's just the true definition of a father, you know, and that's what I need for him to always be my first role model. I feel like being the father that I am, the ex-husband that I am, it was all from her indirectly and directly, so I talk about it on stage for a reason.

I always felt like, you know, when I talk about her or say something, it's to make sure that she gets her flowers the same way, directly or indirectly. [She sent] just a beautiful text, “so proud of you.” As a mother, she is protective and understanding because she knows who her child is, and that is a beautiful thing.

“I think I did well under the circumstances,” comedian Jo Koy says of his performance hosting the Golden Globes.

(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

What grade would you give to your performance that night?

I think I did well under the circumstances. I don't want to give myself a grade because that's subjective, you can give me whatever grade you want. I'll give myself an A-plus just for courage. [to do it]. I'm going to hit him over the head a million times, whoever you can think of that could have done it, I'm telling you right now they said no and I didn't do it. I looked at it in a different light. The history of the show is 81 years. There are 81 hosts and some are repeated. I am the first Asian to be a solo host. We are in 2024, I am the first 81 year old. Sandra Oh was the first co-host, but I was the first solo host. Imagine if someone said yes before me, we would still be at the 82nd Golden Globes and there still wouldn't be any Asians as a solo presenter, so if I hadn't said yes, there never would have been one.

There was a feeling that you threw the writers under the bus. during your monologue. I wanted to give you a chance to respond to that.

I love my writers. I love all three of them and I shouted at them. And I told them that that was just a moment where I was just understanding. I love them and I can't stop talking about them in every interview. They worked their asses off, man. There are many greats who make rookie moves. That was a rookie move. Those writers are dumb and that wasn't my intention at all. They were amazing, they had my back and I need to make sure I fix it and I will, I always will.

It's crazy because the day before we were all sitting here, it was the first time we all saw each other in person, the day before we had to deliver that monologue. Once, that was all we had. It was the craziest thing. And all we did was just sit down and go over it. And then you know there are the suggestions. I went up to my stage [here at my office] and I just went over it verbally. But I was going over it. [our group], of course we will laugh about it. It's honest feedback for us, but I couldn't post it anywhere on stage. I couldn't go anywhere where I could introduce these things and that's what it's all about, making things work. So, given the circumstances, that's what I had to go through and that's okay.

During your monologue, what was the joke that you thought would land that didn't?

I didn't understand Taylor [Swift] fight. Mind you, that one was rewritten 50 million times, we never rewrote it, until we had to retire. It's just strange, where do you put it? And we kept hitting him and cutting him. But the only intention of that joke was to make fun of the NFL. It's as if the good thing about [Golden] Globes is that we don't need to make cuts for ratings. What hurts the most is that I simply support Taylor, I support her, I love her work. I have nieces that I bought tickets for. There are no bad intentions in that joke. The joke is about the NFL and how they keep using cuts to [her]. And it is an obvious reason. I'm not saying anything anyone else is saying, and it's obvious what that joke was. It's about the NFL. It's as if of everything that has happened, this is the one you choose to pursue. I didn't understand why because it was fun when I came out. Robert De Niro was dying and he was looking at him and his wife was slapping his back and she was smiling and laughing and he was laughing. And when I made the whole thing about him being 80, she loved it. And that was fun. I thought, man, this guy is so funny. And then I did that [Swift] I joke and say, what just happened?

Then just the reaction to Barbie's joke. The things that are said are like, man, I don't think you understand who I am as a person, you know what I mean? Because if you've ever seen me, you'll see how much I praise and shed light on women, from my ex-wife to my mother. My whole goal is to try to change that kind of narrative and that appearance of being part of a divorced family. I'm telling a joke: what happened to society where we can't even joke with each other anymore. I bought the movie. I supported the film. Yes, that's the story that doll needed. And I'm glad because now there are people who look like my mom and who can support that.

How do you think your comedy has changed the way we talk about race?

I want to be able to make my mom feel wonderfully badass because that's exactly what she is. And I want her to be appreciated and I want her to shine. She had to raise these children during a horrible time and I'm not saying it's not horrible now, we're always going to go through this, but let's not forget the past and what our parents and grandparents had to go through. It was fucking horrible. And I am happy to have a platform where I can make it shine and be appreciated.

Comedian Jo Koy says his upcoming tour is “this is who I am now.”

(Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)

What is your vision for your next tour?

This tour is this is me now. It's a different stage in my life. It's a different chapter in my book and I need to shed light on it. I'm older now. I'm not the young guy anymore. I don't drink anymore. I take a sip but I don't get as strong as before. I stopped eating meat. I can't process red meat like I used to. I can't eat chicken. I just can not. Now I am more aware of my health. With my son I am about to be an empty nester and it kills me that my best friend is about to move on and become his own person. It talks about a depression I've been dealing with. It's been crazy. I spent the entire month of December just reviewing it. I have never talked to so many people about this before in my life. I don't know what's happening to me right now, but a glimpse of reality bites me in the butt and I can't stand it. Now I find myself hugging and kissing my dog ​​more. He's been a whirlwind of emotion and mental strength, I guess trying to strengthen my brain without going crazy.

What's your typical writing process when working on your specials or tour?

It will take me about a year to write an hour. But in that year, we're talking about maybe 100-something shows, maybe more, 125 shows, and non-stop working and creating them and creating them and just yelling at myself. Why doesn't this work? I make jokes that I've been working on for about 30 shows, and I'm like, fuck it, bury it. And you put all your emotion and all your thought into a two-minute joke and then you say, just bury it, it's not working. And then there are those nights when you stumble upon something and say, “Oh, there it is.” Then you put it away and then you work it and you work it and you tighten it. Then there are these ideas where you say, “God, no, don't do that again.” That's the process and I love the process.

What do you think is the biggest misconception people have about comics?

It's so crazy to me that [people] Think this is easy. We all know that the number one fear is public speaking. And that's all about skydiving. As if there are many people who would rather jump out of a plane with a nylon bag on their back than stand in front of 25 people in a coffee shop and tell a joke. His heart was pounding and I know what that feels like because I still, to this day, remember the first time I went on stage. How I thought I was going to die. Like I could literally hear and feel my heartbeat. I am now 52 years old and I remember it like it was yesterday. Just hearing my heart in my ear, just hearing it and feeling it. I remember where it was on the list. And I remember counting every artist and hating the fact that that person was done. Because I knew he was getting closer and closer to me. So that misconception that it's easy is crazy. It's not that it's easy. It's the people you're witnessing that make it look easy.