Who am I and why am I here?

Writers give lessons learned from Jo Koy's monologue bomb.

Renee Gauthier, who was one of two people writing material for presenters at the Globes, on what Jo Koy did wrong: He didn’t poke fun at himself.

Gauthier said they suggested Koy begin with a self-deprecating joke drawing attention to his status as a relative unknown next to Meryl Streep, Martin Scorsese and other major Hollywood figures in the room. Gauthier’s version was something like: “I know you don’t know who I am, but I know exactly who you are.” Echoing many of the writers I talked to, she said he would have been helped by poking fun at himself. “Jo Koy is known, but this is an A-list party. They aren’t all your peers.”

Then again, writers tend to understand their place in the pecking order better than star hosts. Koy might have been unknown to some in the audience, but as a stand-up, he regularly packs arenas. He opened by saying how thrilled he was to be there, then added that it’s “a dream come true not just for me but everybody in here.”

[Bruce] Vilanch, asked what he would have done, said, “The whole monologue would have been: Who am I and why am I here?”

Good advice for any standup/speaking gig. Make sure they know who you are, why you are there, and poke fun at yourself.