Greta Gerwig Says Golden Globes Host Jo Koy Was 'Not Wrong' to Joke About Barbie's 'Big Boobies'

Greta Gerwig is weighing in on Jo Koy's joke about Barbie at the 2024 Golden Globe Awards.

Koy, 52, appeared to ruffle some feathers during his monologue at Sunday night's awards show when he joked that Gerwig's movie, which won two awards during the ceremony, was based "on a plastic doll with big boobies."

Three days later, Gerwig, 40, did not appear bothered by the joke as she reacted to Koy's remarks during an appearance on BBC Radio 4's Today, stating that Koy was "not wrong" in his joke.

"She’s the first doll that was mass produced with breasts, so he was right on," she said. "And you know, I think that so much of the project of the movie was unlikely because it is about a plastic doll. Barbie by her very construction has no character, no story, she’s there to be projected upon."

Gerwig pointed out that the creator of the Barbie toy Ruth Handler conceived the toy for girls to "pretend to be a grown woman" as she spoke to a wide range of opinions on her movie, which proved highest grossing film of 2023.

“Barbie has been around since 1959. She’s been a villain and she’s been a hero, but it felt like in a way, even though it’s so seemingly superficial, that it was such a rich place to start," she said, adding that Mattel's flagship brand has "always been a flashpoint for arguments."

"There has never been a time when I wasn't familiar with both the desire that Barbie inspired and the arguments against Barbie," she said. "The fact that the film has inspired such a range of reactions seems fitting."

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During the radio appearance, Gerwig also spoke to how she felt when Barbie won the Globes' first-ever cinematic and box office achievement award over nominees like Oppenheimer, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, John Wick: Chapter 4, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1 and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

"It was very wonderful and emotional to be able to take the stage with the group that made it and it felt very fitting because I think for all of us the thing that we wanted most of all was to connect with people and have people share an experience in the cinemas, in the movie theaters," she shared. "Even thought this was a brand new award it felt like it was the award to honor that and that was always what we had wanted to do. It was very full circle."

Next up for Barbie is the 2024 Critics Choice Awards, where the movie leads all film nominees with 18 total nominations. That ceremony will be hosted by Chelsea Handler and air live on The CW Sunday, Jan. 14, from 7 to 10 p.m. ET.