That’s partly the rationale he introduced within the New Yr on his sofa, binge-watching TV exhibits and movies along with his ex-wife (who he refers to as his “greatest buddy”) and 20-year-old son. However he was additionally “cramming” — on Sunday, Koy will host the 81st Golden Globes, the place he will likely be solely the second individual of Asian descent to shepherd the present (Sandra Oh was the primary, in 2019), and the primary Asian American man to take action. And he was given lower than two weeks to arrange.
The Globes, generally known as “the Drunk Oscars” for its glitzy, boozy power, will mark the primary main awards present because the finish of the twin writers and actors strikes that shut down Hollywood for months final yr. Being named grasp of ceremonies — and following within the footsteps of Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Jimmy Fallon — additionally caps a meteoric seven-year run, which noticed Koy go from Netflix reject to international headliner.
“I’ve had [hosting] gigs earlier than, however nothing to this stage,” Koy mentioned. “So I gotta be sure I deliver it.”
The job of emceeing the leisure business’s large award exhibits has often fallen to America’s most beloved comedians — Billy Crystal, Ellen DeGeneres, Chris Rock and Trevor Noah to call a couple of. These gigs even have a status for being troublesome: maintaining an viewers laughing for 3 or extra hours is difficult sufficient, however hosts additionally need to weigh taking part in to the room or the viewers at house.
The Globes, which started enlisting comedian hosts in 2009, has developed a status for bringing extra of an edge to its proceedings. Ricky Gervais, who has hosted the present a number of occasions, has been each praised and criticized for mocking “woke” celebrities he thought-about hypocritical. Jerrod Carmichael, who hosted the present final yr after scandals rocked the Hollywood Overseas Press Affiliation, took the HFPA to process in his opening monologue, stating bluntly, “I’m right here as a result of I’m Black.” (Dick Clark Productions and Eldridge firm purchased the rights for the awards present final yr.)
However within the wake of the contentious strikes by the writers and actors guilds — a “scary time” for the business, Koy famous — the comic desires to set a extra celebratory, sunny power to the proceedings.
“I simply need to have enjoyable,” Koy mentioned. “I simply need to deal with it like one in every of my exhibits.”
Koy, whose actual identify is Joseph Glenn Herbert, has been grinding on the stand-up comedy circuit for many years, steadily amassing a various fan base drawn to his deeply private, kinetic — and, sometimes, unabashedly lewd — model of comedy. His 2017 breakout comedy particular, “Reside from Seattle,” noticed Koy lean exhausting into tales about his multicultural upbringing (his mother’s treatment for each ailment? Vicks VapoRub), elevating a (smelly) teenage boy and being broke. As Koy has recounted in interviews and subsequent stand-up exhibits, Netflix was adamantly in opposition to financing the particular — a lot in order that when Netflix executives discovered he was self-funding the taping in hopes of promoting it to the streamer, they known as him to emphasise that they “actually don’t need it.”
Koy filmed the particular anyway — and upon watching it, Netflix fits modified their minds.
Since then, Koy has filmed three extra specials for the streaming service, together with a present shot within the Philippines with an all-Filipino crew, “In His Components.” He has another coming later this yr, and one other set to launch in 2025. He additionally starred within the 2022 household comedy “Easter Sunday” and performed Coach Komura within the 2023 animated movie, “Leo,” that includes Adam Sandler, Invoice Burr, Jason Alexander and Cecily Sturdy.
Each his struggles and successes have satisfied Koy of the ability of illustration, a subject he can’t assist however take into consideration as he prepares for the Globes.
Watching awards exhibits such because the Globes, Emmys, Grammys and Oscars was a household occasion at Koy’s home when he was rising up. He likened these viewing events to the “final sport present”: three hours of taking bets on the winners and cracking jokes on each other in between. (Nobody, he says, roasts him more durable than his mom.) “Whenever you’re broke, the one type of leisure you’ve got is one another,” Koy mentioned.
He desires his household and followers to be proud, after all, however he’s additionally pondering of how different Filipinos and mixed-race individuals may really feel seeing him entertain a few of the greatest names in Hollywood — Will Ferrell, Michelle Yeoh, Oprah Winfrey.
“I’ve loads using on this,” Koy mentioned. “I received the burden of lots of people relying on me.”
Prep for the occasion has been, like most of Koy’s work, a household affair. Koy says his son, Joseph Herbert Jr., wrote down all of the nominees and their classes this week, after noticing that his dad saved Googling who was up for awards (“I didn’t even ask him to do that for me. … It was simply the cutest factor,” Koy mentioned). There’s additionally his chosen household of fellow comics — when Koy leaves house, it’s to go to the Snigger Manufacturing facility and “sharpen his instruments.” Throughout a current go to to the comedy membership, he bumped into Tiffany Haddish, an previous buddy who, 20 years in the past, would maintain his toddler son as Koy labored the stage.
“She’s so glad for me … It’s a wonderful factor to go from broke dreamers to, , dwelling out our goals,” Koy mentioned.
He’s additionally acquired recommendation from different comics — Seth Meyers, Ali Wong and Chris Rock, whose first flip internet hosting the Oscars in 2016 left a deep impression on Koy (“I felt like he was chatting with the youthful era,” Koy mentioned). It’s Rock’s recommendation that stands out essentially the most.
“He goes, ‘Everybody’s at all times frightened concerning the costume change.’ Watch the present, watch all the present so that you’re ready — if something goes unhealthy, if there’s a humorous second that occurs, you noticed it first,” Koy recalled. “That resonated a lot as a result of I’m like that on tour anyway.”
On tour, Jo Koy makes a behavior of observing his viewers — happening prolonged riffs about one member’s “lactose stroll,” imitating a person’s sleep apnea or spinning an imagined situation through which he’s kidnapped by a Ukrainian named Dan. These bits generally tend to steer towards the vulgar (fellatio comes up loads), however they’re additionally lighthearted — everyone seems to be in on the joke.
As an entertainer, he thrives off nervousness, he says, and leans into his instincts. And he doesn’t shrink back from the current, irrespective of how unusual or surreal it could be. That’s definitely been a theme of the previous few years, he mentioned.
“I keep in mind watching Michael Jordan win all his championships on the United Middle. After which there I’m with my son onstage. … Like, what’s happening proper now?” Koy mentioned. (The comic is thought to deliver his son, who works for him, onstage on the finish of his act.) “I simply need to be within the second, ?”
The 81st Golden Globe Awards will air at eight p.m. Sunday on CBS and stream on Paramount Plus.