Chelsea Handler playfully teased her ex, Jo Koy, about his recent hosting gig at the 2024 Golden Globe Awards. While hosting the 2024 Critics Choice Awards, she playfully recycled one of Koy’s jokes that had faced criticism. Starting with a light-hearted comment about the looks of veteran actors Harrison Ford and Robert De Niro, she later humorously mentioned missing Martin Scorsese and quipped about tossing him around like a small Italian meatball. Handler, acknowledging the laughter, credited her writers and received an enthusiastic applause from the audience, many of whom were also present at the Golden Globes.
While hosting, Koy defended himself when his joke about the Barbie movie didn’t land well, explaining that he only had 10 days to prepare and that not every joke can be perfect. He also faced criticism for a joke about Taylor Swift and the camera shots at the awards show compared to the NFL. Despite the mixed reactions, Koy expressed his interest in hosting again with better preparation.
A few days later, Koy admitted it was a mistake to blame his writers for the joke, calling it a “rookie move.” He clarified that his intention was not to criticize them, acknowledging their support and expressing his commitment to fixing the situation.
Handler, aged 48, had a relationship with this year’s Golden Globes host from August 2021 to July 2022. Introduced by mutual friend Jon Lovitz in the early 2000s, Koy, aged 52, appeared on over 100 episodes of Handler’s late-night show Chelsea Lately between 2007 and 2014. After reconnecting in late 2020, they officially became a couple in August the following year. For 11 months, they were a prominent couple in the comedy scene, attending events like the Grammys and The Kelly Clarkson Show. Handler even expressed her renewed faith in men in a 2021 Instagram post.
Before their breakup, Koy directed Handler’s Netflix special, Chelsea Handler: Revolution, which premiered in December 2022.
In July 2022, Handler shared a video on Instagram about their approaching one-year anniversary, announcing that they had jointly decided to take a break from their relationship. In January 2023, speaking on the Call Her Daddy podcast, Handler mentioned that she would no longer discuss their separation, stating, “I’m not promoting a breakup from six months ago.”
Source: People
