Taylor Swift Can’t Take a Joke
The Golden Globes aired last night, and nobody seems to care who won or lost, if they can even remember who was nominated. But the biggest story comes from a tense moment between host Jo Koy and music superstar Taylor Swift. During his monologue, one of Koy’s jokes was about Swift attending NFL games due to her relationship with Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs, which has boosted the ratings for football games. When the camera immediately cuts to Swift, she’s clearly angry, sipping her drink as she glares at Koy. You can see the moment below, courtesy of The New York Post:
I find this significant because, in this moment, Taylor Swift demonstrates what’s wrong with the modern celebrity. Koy’s joke was pretty tame, a lighthearted jab at Swift being spotted at football games and the NFL’s embrace of her as a ratings boon. And her reaction is to be miffed that someone would dare make a joke about her, sipping her champagne like a snooty, humorless priss. This is how celebrities act now, and as a result, this is how people see them; they think they’re above everything, including a joke from a comedian at an awards show. Swift’s just-sucked-on-a-lemon puss isn’t as bad as, off the top of my head, Will Smith slapping Chris Rock in the face for making a joke about his rich and famous wife, but it’s the same attitude of superiority. These people have no humility, no capacity for self-deprecation, and a permanent stick up their ass.
But it wasn’t always this way. Once upon a time, awards shows were fun, and celebrities could take a joke. In 2001, Steve Martin mockingly suggested Tom Hanks was behind a plot to kidnap Russell Crowe (which was real), and Hanks played along, looking ashamed as the camera lingered on him. Women were dealt much harsher barbs than Taylor Swift was by Jo Koy, and they laughed it off. But that era is over; the modern stars – some of them the same people who used to roll with it – are self-important stiffs now, and you’d better straighten your tie and sit with your hands folded because the entertainment industry is no laughing matter. Could you imagine having to be around these people at a party? You’d schedule a root canal just to get out of it.
To put this in perspective, Taylor Swift is a billionaire.
Can’t imagine why she’s worn out more boyfriends than I have socks. https://t.co/pHv3MHtVFM
— John Ocasio-Rodham Nolte (@NolteNC) January 8, 2024
