Award show season always comes with many memorable moments, whether good, bad, funny, or cringy. Hosts and presenters attempt to make funny jokes while keeping them not too controversial, but they can be very hit or miss. Here’s a recap of some award show moments that didn’t go as planned.
jo koy’s joke about taylor swift at the golden globes
Most recently, the 2024 Golden Globes was hosted by comedian Jo Koy (don’t worry, I had to Google him, too), who received backlash for some of his jokes being tasteless, sexist, and overall inappropriate. One of his jokes was directed towards the most beloved, successful woman in the music industry today, Taylor Swift. In his monologue, Koy said, “The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL? On the Golden Globes, we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift.” The laugh track had to be activated at that moment. The camera then panned to Swift’s unamused facial expression. Instead of referencing Swift’s Golden Globe-nominated movie that she was in attendance for, Koy went in the direction of associating Swift with her boyfriend, NFL star Travis Kelce.
Swift has previously mentioned not wanting to be the center of attention at her boyfriend’s games, explaining why she didn’t seem to care for that joke. Additionally, a few other jokes that night didn’t hit exactly the way Koy thought they would, resulting in a seemingly uncomfortable and unimpressed audience.
the oscars slap
Backtracking to 2022, the infamous incident at the Oscars, commonly referred to as “the slap,” became an unprecedented and unforgettable moment in the history of award shows. Chris Rock was presenting an award and made an ill-advised joke regarding Will Smith’s wife, who suffers from alopecia. Rock joked, “Jada, I love you. G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it”, referring to Jada Pinkett Smith’s bald head.
This resulted in Will Smith getting angered, walking onto the stage, and slapping Rock right in the face. It was an unexpected reaction, especially for such a prestigious award show where professionalism is typically the standard. While Smith received some backlash for his outburst, it was also met with laughter as this altercation instantly went viral. People were reposting videos of it on Twitter, making memes, and just transforming a serious interaction into a source of entertainment for the online community.
ricky gervais’ sexist golden globes joke
Now, going back to the 2016 Golden Globes, host Ricky Gervais made a somewhat unsettling joke regarding Caitlyn Jenner and a car accident she was involved in the year prior, which resulted in the death of a woman. Gervais has often hosted the Golden Globes and is known for his borderline-controversial jokes. This particular joke stated, “Caitlyn Jenner. What a year she’s had. She became a role model for trans people everywhere, bravely breaking down barriers and destroying stereotypes. She didn’t do much for women drivers, but you can’t have everything, can you?”
Not only was this a dig at the stereotype that women have poor driving skills (PSA: do not watch me parallel park), but it also very much offended members of the transgender community. I can also imagine that it wasn’t funny to the friends and family of the woman who lost her life in this car accident.
Award shows have been full of surprises and excitement over the years, keeping us on our toes and anticipating what the next seasons will bring.
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