The Golden Globes kicked off awards season and it didn’t particularly start on the best foot. Coming in, there was some skepticism on how the once-popular awards show would perform. That’s because the Golden Globes is still reeling from a huge scandal that rocked Tinseltown in 2021. The once prestigious awards show has never been the same since, with rumors swirling that the Golden Globes struggled to get a proper host for the event.
Ultimately, Jo Koy was chosen for the gig and that may have been a bad decision. The comedian was universally panned for his performance, with the most notable issue being his monologue that seemed to trigger a couple of celebrities including Taylor Swift. Koy was bashed for his hosting dues and Kevin Hart came out the next day on Sky News and said the following:
“Whatever little hope you had, I want to destroy it right now. Those gigs aren’t good gigs for comics. It’s no shot to the Oscars, no shot to the Globes or anything else. Those just aren’t comedy-friendly environments anymore. I think they got it right one year where it was like just a bunch of personalities acting as the hosts and that’s a nice thing. It’s a collaborative thing, different people get to be responsible for act one, act two, act three, but you know, the days of it being a room for a comic, those days are done.”
Is Kevin Hart right about these upscale awards shows not being comedy-friendly?
The Culture Has Drastically Changed
We are no longer living the days of The Dave Chapelle and Mad TV where offensive jokes can be made left and right without some kind of uproar. This generation has become hypersensitive to jokes made by comedians who aren’t afraid to poke fun at societal norms. Admittedly, Jo Koy’s joke about Taylor Swift was awkward and not particularly great, but it was nothing to get upset about since it wasn’t offensive. He observed Swift’s recent surge in the media due to her relationship with Travis Kelce.
Taylor Swift has the right to not find that joke funny. It’s her fans who are causing an uproar about Swift’s joke. But that backlash has been quite tame compared to some of the recent events regarding comedians. Who could forget the Will Smith slap to Chris Rock? What’s worse was that Will Smith was NOT reprimanded for his actions. He should’ve been escorted immediately off the awards show, yet, he got a standing ovation trying to tie his actions to the role he won his Oscar for.
Though comedians such as Ricky Gervais and Dave Chapelle have managed to weather the storm in terms of being canceled, there’s no denying that comedians simply can’t tell jokes anymore. More and more people are getting offended by something that they can easily ignore, and in some cases, that can effectively hurt their careers in the long run.
Comedians Help Give The Awards Show A Boost
That isn’t to say that every comedian who gets the hosting gig is going to be great. No offense to Jo Koy, but his performance just wasn’t good. Given the fact that he had ten days to prepare for one of the biggest awards shows in Hollywood, it’s understandable why he wasn’t on his A-game, but that’s still not a good excuse. Why accept the gig if you didn’t think you did a good job? Koy isn’t the first comedian to bomb onstage nor will he be the last.
More often than not, comedians give the awards show much-needed levity that brings these rich celebrities down to Earth. Ricky Gervais is one of the best examples of a comedian who could tear the house down with his jabs, yet kept the show moving at a nice pace. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are other examples of great comedians who understood their audience and played to those strengths.
This isn’t to say that comedians are the only options to host award shows as there’s been plenty of times talent stepped up to the plate and did an excellent job hosting said event. However, comedians are typically better showmen in this environment, thus it’s understandable why the big-name events like the Golden Globes tend to go after skilled performers of this nature.
Should Comedians Stop Hosting Awards Shows?
If these guys genuinely feel that they are no longer in a safe environment then yes. This isn’t just about receiving backlash over a couple of jokes. The fact that Will Smith was able to freely walk on stage and put his hands on a performer who simply doing his job was ridiculous. Even worse, Will Smith got a slap on his wrist. Comedians shouldn’t be punished for doing a job that they were hired to do.
Don’t want any controversial or political jokes told? Then don’t hire names like Ricky Gervais or Chris Rock to host your awards show. Safety comes first and if comedians don’t feel safe then they should reject hosting a huge event of this nature. Maybe it’ll be for the best as the awards show formula has gotten quite stale over the years.
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