Male Awards Show Hosts Can Learn So Much From Trevor Noah

Trevor Noah returned to host the 66th Annual Grammy Awards on February 4 and proved that male hosts can be funny and charming without cracking misogynistic jokes in their opening dialogue.

It really shouldn’t be notable that a male host made it through an awards show without putting his sexism on display, but after listening to Jo Koy at the Golden Globes, it unfortunately is. Koy received swift backlash after hosting this year’s Golden Globes, during which he made several terrible, sexist jokes aimed at Barbie, Taylor Swift, and others. It certainly set a concerning tone for the upcoming awards season. Given that this is one of the first years where a female-led movie was nominated in nearly every major category at all the most significant award shows, many women questioned if that meant they’d have to sit through an entire awards season of sexist jokes.

However, Noah truly put Koy to shame by hosting an awards show with humor and charisma while simultaneously building women up instead of tearing them down. Not only was he far funnier than Koy, but he was able to joke around with the predominantly female nominees of the night while still being respectful.

Noah Trevor was the exact opposite of Jo Koy

Noah’s hosting at the Grammys was so effective because he basically did the exact opposite of what Koy did. Whereas Koy immediately targeted the female nominees at the Golden Globes, Noah immediately started the night by highlighting that the Grammys were female-dominated this year across almost every category. He celebrated how all but one nominee for the highest award of the night, Album of the Year, were women, getting the audience clapping and cheering.

At the Golden Globes, one of Koy’s most ill-received jokes was about the NFL showing Swift too frequently. It was an unnecessary joke, especially since Swift doesn’t control how much she is shown, and it’s pretty bizarre how bent out of shape men are getting that Swift occasionally appears on their screens. Noah also decided to joke about Swift but in a genuinely funny manner. When she walked in, he said, “Are you seeing what’s happening right now? As Taylor Swift moves through the room, the local economy around those tables improves.” Noah then called out everyone complaining about the NFL showing Swift too much, calling it unfair as it’s not “like she’s controlling the cameras at the game.”

Then Noah said he would give Swift a break that night. So whenever he talked about Swift, the camera would cut to someone who played football. At this point, the camera cut to Terry Crews as Noah questioned him if he worked for the CIA and was controlling the Grammy cameras in a bit that had the audience laughing out loud. Noah also made several other cute jokes, such as insisting on telling Doja Cat that he thought she was “great,” joking with Olivia Rodrigo about what rhymed with “bloodsucker” in her song “Vampire,” and questioning why Billie and Finneas Eilish’s parents stopped at two kids when they seemingly found the formula for making incredibly talented people.

Throughout the whole show, Trevor never made fun of anyone in a mean-spirited manner or belittled their achievements. He made jokes that were funny but also flattering and that drew smiles and laughter from whoever the subject was. There was no uncomfortable silence, groans, or heads dropping into hands over some tasteless joke. Instead, Trevor created the perfect positive environment to highlight the achievements of countless women, from Taylor Swift to SZA to Miley Cyrus to Tracy Chapman. His hosting likely attributed to the night’s celebratory, accepting, supportive, and uplifting mood.

Whereas Koy was roasted online after the Golden Globes, social media users can’t stop praising the excellent job Noah did.

Noah’s fantastic hosting raises the question of why comedians like Koy or Matt Rife still feel the need to be misogynistic and cruel to be funny. Noah’s comedy clearly drew better results, while so many other comedians are only generating cringes because their jokes aren’t just tasteless but also painfully unfunny. Perhaps it’s time for comedians to learn that wholesome and uplifting comedy does have a place in the industry.

(featured image: Kevin Mazur / Getty)