While hosting the 2024 Critics Choice Awards, comedian Chelsea Handler seemingly joked about ex-boyfriend Jo Koy’s turn as host of the 2024 Golden Globe Awards.
After a joke about Martin Scorsese received laughs, she quipped: “Thank you for laughing at that. My writers wrote it,” according to Access Hollywood.
The line appeared to be a dig about Koy’s performance at the Golden Globes the week prior. While delivering his Golden Globes monologue to underwhelmed responses at times, Koy noted that he wasn’t responsible for all the jokes, according to TODAY.com reporting.
“Some I wrote, some other people wrote,” Koy said. “Yo, I got the gig 10 days ago. You want a perfect monologue?”
“Shut up. You’re kidding me, right? I wrote some of these, and they’re the ones you’re laughing at," he added.
Hander and Koy dated for almost a year before breaking up in summer of 2022, TODAY.com previously reported.
Handler’s joke came after she shared her appreciation of older men, including Harrison Ford, Robert DeNiro and Scorsese. Ford received a career achievement award, and DeNiro and Scorsese both garnered nominations for “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
“Unfortunately, Martin Scorsese isn’t here tonight, but that’s not going to stop me from letting everyone in this room know that I would toss him around like a little Italian meatball,” Handler said before adding: “Thank you for laughing at that my writers wrote that.”
Handler also addressed all the women making headlines in the past year, Access Hollywood noted.
“Women were victorious in all venues. 'Barbie,' at the box office. Taylor Swift and Beyoncé on their tours. Gwyneth Paltrow at that ski trial,” she said. “You could almost say it was the year of the women.”
During the ceremony, Handler veered off-script and asked director Greta Gerwig and actor Margo Robbie to the stage to celebrate “Barbie,” according to Variety. Many of the awards that the blockbuster movie received were handed out during the commercial breaks.
“I’m going to go rogue because Greta and Margo deserve the opportunity to make an acceptance speech,” Handler said. “Would you mind coming up here and accepting the award?”
The two were stunned.
“You know, when everyone is like ‘Oh, this is so unexpected,’” Robbie said. “This is actually unexpected and was not a part of the show. We are very grateful nonetheless.”