Award Shows Need to Change and Here’s How
Photo credit: Rich Polk
Award shows are aging like milk––what started off as a tradition to honor and celebrate the creme de la creme of each entertainment industry (specifically Golden Globes for film and TV and Oscars for film), has since degraded into a concoction of misogyny and stupidity, and a true exploration in the art of snubbing. If there’s one thing to take away from the evolution (or rather degradation) of award shows, it’s that the people who are making the decisions behind the shows are out of touch, or at least willfully unaware of what the world wants to praise and what makes entertainment entertaining and compelling.
Something that has been ruminating in my mind, and the minds of many others, is that infamous dumpster fire of a performance from Jo Koy, the “comedian” known for such hits as Jo Koy: Live from Seattle, Jo Koy: Don’t Make Him Angry, and Jo Koy: Comin’ In Hot, at the 2024 Golden Globes. Starting as just straight-up bad comedy, it snowballed into an act filled with jabs at Taylor Swift and Meryl Streep, and one particularly stinging superficial rendering of Barbie; folks took to social media to denounce Mr. Koy’s jokes and criticize the Golden Globes for being, well, misogynistic. I completely agree, why in 2024 are women and women-made projects still the buds of jokes in Hollywood? It feels incredibly tired, and even if these award shows aren’t accessing the best comedy writers of all time to write host monologues, there are plenty of other, better jokes to pick. Jess Elgene, a creator on Instagram, summed up this entire argument by writing her own much better award show jokes one day post-Golden Globes, proving that fame doesn’t equate to funny, and that lack of preparation time doesn’t equate to being kind, respectful, and considerate in comedy. Comedy doesn’t have to be degrading; you can even rib celebrities without commenting on their gender, appearance, or influence. When it comes to award season, these writers need to take a few notes.
Another big upset among the public was the clear snubbing of Barbie’s director Greta Gerwig and executive producer and leading lady Margot Robbie in the 2024 Oscars Nominations. With Ms. Robbie’s co-star Ryan Gosling being nominated for best supporting actor, he took to the press to release a statement on the whole ordeal and his disappointment. I appreciate Mr. Gosling’s efforts to support his female counterparts while actively showing dissatisfaction toward the Academy, but I wish what he said had more impact. Unfortunately, apart from some public praise, Mr. Gosling’s words changed nothing about the Oscars Nominations. Though expected, I had hoped that something more substantial would have bloomed. I mean, Barbie was not only widely received as one of the best films of 2023, but was the highest grossing film in box offices––thus supporting the public’s complete infatuation with Barbie’s world. Why is it that, even though a film can be a smash hit with the public and tell a relevant, honest narrative, it doesn’t get the accolades to boast? Well, it seems we may still be living in Ken’s mojo dojo casa house. The “distinguished” and “highly capable” panel of judges tasked with voting for the Oscars is inhabited by––you guessed it!––majority white men. Shocker! No wonder Barbie and its makers weren’t given the Academy attention they most definitely deserved; if the movie’s not directed by Christopher Nolan or Martin Scorsese, the judges don’t care for it. I think award shows, but especially the Oscars, need to reevaluate how to vote for nominees. At this point in our culture, the way the public perceives pop culture and media is arguably far more important than the way a gaggle of critics and industry members do. We, as the public, dictate what’s fashionable, funny, and important, and therefore should be the ones deciding who and what to praise with coveted entertainment industry awards.
So, what does all of this mean? For one, it means that we need to see more writers in the writer’s room when planning for award season. We need to get creative in the ways we joke about celebrities, and shouldn’t rely on and spew “jokes” about people’s outward appearances and uncontrollable societal traits. It's true that the funniest comedy is oftentimes the most clever. It’s true that the funniest comedy is oftentimes coming from a place of the most compassion. But beyond just hiring a better and wider crop of writers for these shows, there needs to be a better way to vote on who gets nominated. We need to diversify who gets to vote, and give the public more input in the whole process of nominations. After all, doesn’t entertainment cater to the masses?
