Greta Gerwig Supports Jo Koy's Controversial 'Barbie' Joke: 'He Has a Point'
Greta Gerwig supports Jo Koy's controversial 'Barbie' joke at the Golden Globes, implying he may have a valid point
Greta Gerwig and Jo Koy. Getty Images (2)
Jo Koy received a lot of criticism for his Golden Globes monologue, but Greta Gerwig was not among them. In an interview on BBC Radio 4's Today after the January 7th awards show, Gerwig, 40, shared her thoughts on Koy's Barbie joke. During the monologue, Koy, 52, compared Gerwig's film to Christoper Nolan’s Oppenheimer and made a remark about Barbie. This drew widespread negative attention.
Despite many fans finding the comment belittling, Gerwig dismissed it, stating, "Well, he's not wrong." She made her statement on a radio show, saying, "She's the first doll to be mass-produced with breasts, so he was correct. And you know, I think a large part of the movie's project was unlikely because it is about a plastic doll." Gerwig further commented, "By her very construction, Barbie has no character or story. She's there to be projected upon."
Since 1959, the doll has been a significant figure in pop culture. "She's been both a villain and a hero, but it seemed like such a rich starting point, despite its seeming superficiality," Gerwig expressed.
Gerwig also shared insights from Barbie creator Ruth Handler, who realized, "My daughter doesn't want to pretend to be a mother. She wants to pretend to be a grown woman."
Barbie received an impressive nine Golden Globe nominations, the highest number for any film at the year's ceremony. The film won the inaugural award for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement, honoring movies that earned at least $100 million domestically and $150 million worldwide. Billie Eilish's song "What Was I Made For?" from the Barbie soundtrack won Best Original Song.
Koy's Sunday night performance raised eyebrows, leaving home viewers and even some audience members unimpressed with his jokes. His jokes directed at Gerwig's movie led to on-screen shots of her and Barbie co-stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, who did not display any amusement.
Koy found himself defending his performance on stage after many of his jokes didn't land. He pointed out that he only got the gig 10 days earlier and lightheartedly told the audience to cut him some slack. He also mentioned that he wrote some of the jokes that they were laughing at.
In addition to making jokes about Barbie and mentioning Robert De Niro, Koy took aim at Taylor Swift's recent appearances at NFL events, playfully noting the contrast between the Golden Globes and the NFL, where there are fewer camera shots of Swift.
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Swift, 34, looked visibly annoyed as she sipped her drink, and Koy later confessed that his joke was "weird."
"It was aimed more at the NFL," he explained on GMA3: What You Need to Know the day after the event. "I was trying to poke fun at the NFL's use of cutaways and how the Globes didn't need to do that. It was meant to be a dig at the NFL, but it didn't quite come across that way."
