Jo Koy seemingly slammed the stars at the 2024 Golden Globes and called them "soft" in his first stand-up comedy set since his controversial award show hosting gig.

According to Variety, the comedian received thunderous applause and a standing ovation as he appeared onstage at the Stifel Theatre in St. Louis, Missouri, on Friday.

Jo Koy acknowledged the warm reception, saying, "Holy s**t, right? This big hug that you gave me is all I need, swear to god. F*****g whirlwind, goddamn."

He then alluded to the Golden Globes and the backlash to his hosting stint, seemingly blaming the A-list audience at the awards ceremony.

Jo Koy
Jo Koy arrives for the 81st annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on January 7, 2024. Michael Tran/AFP via Getty Images

"Lot of marshmallows, man. They're delicious, but goddamn, they're soft. I just come from a different time. I see the changes that are happening. I get it, but goddamn, can we f*****g laugh at ourselves?" Jo Koy said at his show, the first of his "Jo Koy World Tour," according to the magazine.

His quip was met with cheers, with one audience member shouting, "F**k, 'em!"

Jo Koy cheekily addressed the audience, saying, "I got a feeling none of you motherf****rs watched it, and I'm kinda happy."

"It feels good to live in this country. We get to say what we want to say. Don't be apologetic about it at all. Be able to...speak your mind," he added.

Jo Koy
Jo Koy attends the 81st Annual Golden Globe Awards Press Preview and Red Carpet Rollout at The Beverly Hilton on January 4, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California. Getty Images/Rodin Eckenroth

Although Jo Koy didn't mention the Golden Globes by name during his Missouri show, he expressed relief over being away from Los Angeles.

"Here in St. Louis, [you've got] people that listen to you, understand you and understand we're not all out to attack each other. It's stupid in LA," he quipped.

Unlike his stand-up set, Jo Koy's jokes during his Golden Globes hosting debut on Jan. 7 fell flat and left celebrity attendees and at-home viewers alike unimpressed.

In his opening monologue, he poked fun at movies such as "Barbie" and celebrities like Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper and Taylor Swift.

Swift, in particular, was seen looking unamused following a joke about her NFL appearances.

Despite the backlash, several celebrities and entertainers came to Jo Koy's defense.

Howard Stern said on his SiriusXM show, "Nobody wanted to host this thing. Those shows are f*****g hard to do. Hollywood has no sense of humor about itself."

"The View" host Whoopi Goldberg also backed Jo Koy, noting that being an award show host is "not an easy gig" based on her experience.

Tags
Jo Koy, Golden globes, Stand up comedy