Jo Koy makes history as the first Fil-Am to host the Golden Globes

Fil-Am comedian Jo Koy makes history as the first Fil-Am to host the Golden Globes in its 81-year history this Sunday (Monday Manila time) at The Beverly Hilton hotel.

The 52-year-old stand-up comedian couldn't believe it when he got the call from the producers of the Golden Globe to host the "Hollywood Party of the Year."

"I am very proud to represent my family, my culture on this stage," he told us in an exclusive one-on-one interview. "I am so excited because my family and I have been through this journey for 35 years. I started in 1989. And I can't wait to have fun with this group of people right here (Golden Globes). This is a dream come true to finally make it on this stage."

Born Joseph Glenn Herbert Sr. in Tacoma, Washington, Jo Koy also becomes the first Asian comedian to host the Golden Globes solo. Actress Sandra Oh, who was the first woman of Asian descent to host the Globes, co-hosted with comedian Andy Samberg in 2019.

This is also the first time that Jo Koy, the son of a white American father and a Filipina mother, is hosting a major awards show.

Photo by Gian Barbarona

We first saw the potential of Jo Koy hosting the Globes when my husband Ruben and I attended CinemaCon at the Caesars Palace in Las Vegas last year. Jo Koy was then promoting his Steven Spielberg-produced movie "Easter Sunday.'"

When he went up on stage, he really had the crowd at his fingertips! The audience loved him, and the theater crowd was roaring with laughter. When comedian-actor Steve Carrell followed him after, Carrell confessed, "Jo Koy is a hard act to follow."

Representation matters and for someone who was the first Filipina to join the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in 2008, I am so proud to see this happening at the 81st Golden Globe Awards!

We asked Jo Koy what his greatest fear was in hosting this new gig for him and he confidently replied, "None! This is a party! And what makes it different from the other parties is first, the guest list. Second, 52 countries are watching!"

As of press time, the official presenters for the 81st Golden Globes include Oprah Winfrey, Hailee Steinfeld, Michelle Yeoh, Simu Liu, Will Ferrell, Amanda Seyfried, America Ferrera, Angela Bassett, Daniel Kaluuya, Florence Pugh, Gabriel Macht, George Lopez, Issa Rae, Julia Garner, Justin Hartley, Patrick J. Adams, and Shameik Moore.

The best advice Jo Koy got, he shared, was from his friend, comedian Chris Rock who recently hosted the Oscars. "Chris told me to enjoy the moment and not to worry about my costume change," he revealed. "He told me to watch the show, be ready and be prepared so that when something happens, I would be prepared to talk about it. I think that is the best advice that I got. If he didn't tell me that, I would be having 19 costume changes backstage."

Photo by Janet Susan Nepales

Will there be a barong in one of his costumes onstage, we inquired. "No, there won't be a barong. I will be rocking in my nice tux." But who knows, he might change his mind at the after-party.

His friend actress Ali Wong, who is nominated for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Limited Series, Anthology Series, or a Motion Picture Made for Television for her performance in "Beef," also told him to just be himself.

After binge-watching at home for straight eight days and familiarizing himself with the nominated movies and TV shows, Jo Koy also revealed that his best TV show is "Beef."

Since Jo Koy is known for always telling stories about his Filipina mom or son, will he be bringing both to the awards show this Sunday?

"First of all, this is a job. Yes, I will bring my son and my sister and everyone on my team will be there," he said. His sister, in fact, was with him at the red-carpet rollout event this Thursday acting like his official social media person and taking lots of videos and photos for her brother. Very shy, she begged off to be photographed.

At the red-carpet rollout which kicked off the start of the Golden Globe celebration, Jo Koy rolled the red carpet with producers and executives including Glenn Weiss (Showrunner, Executive Producer, and Director), Ricky Kirshner (Showrunner and Executive Producer Producer), Helen Hoehne (Golden Globes President), and Barry Adelman (Executive Producer).

Photo by Gian Barbarona

When Jo Koy was asked to roll the carpet by himself, he candidly blurted, "Man, this is hard!" when he realized the carpet was too heavy to be rolled out by one person.

As a part of the Golden Globe experience, Moët & Chandon offered a glimpse into this year's "Toast for a Cause" initiative, its longstanding philanthropic tradition at the Golden Globes. In light of the recent Hollywood strikes, Moet has partnered with the Motion Picture & Television Fund.

For each toast made by a nominee on the Golden Globes red carpet, Moët & Chandon will donate $1,000 to the nominee's charity of choice and an additional matching $1,000 to a specially created MPTF fund supporting hard-hit crew members. Over 300 toasts supporting 250+ charities have been made over the past decade.

If he had a chance to decide to add a Filipino dish to the Golden Globes dinner table, what would it be, we asked the charming host.

"I have two dishes – sinigang and chicken adobo!" he quickly replied and smiled.

The 81st Annual Golden Globe® Awards will air live on CBS and stream on Paramount+ on Sunday, January 7, 2024, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT (live and on-demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the special airs).

Produced and owned by Dick Clark Productions, the Golden Globe Awards has been viewed in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide and is one of the few awards ceremonies to include both motion picture and television achievements.