Jo Koy has insisted his Taylor Swift joke was a "compliment".
The 34-year-old pop megastar - who is currently dating footballer Travis Kelce and has often been seen supporting him at various games - was the butt of a joke made by comedian Koy, 52, at the Golden Globes on Sunday.
He said: "We came on after a football doubleheader. The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL… On the Golden Globes, we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift."
The 'Anti-Hero' songstress looked unimpressed at the gag as she failed to crack a smile and instead took a sip of her champagne but Koy has now insisted he meant no harm by the joke.
He told US TV show 'Extra: "It was a compliment, like she could be more intimate tonight, that’s all."
The 'Easter Sunday' star didn't seem to be too disheartened by Swift’s ostensibly unimpressed reaction either.
He told 'Entertainment Tonight': "Aww, man, it was cute. I was just saying it was cute."
Some of Koy’s other jokes during his opening monologue also received a lukewarm reception, as he poked fun at 2023 blockbusters 'Barbie' and 'Oppenheimer' and later blamed his less successful gags on other writers.
He said: “Some I wrote, some other people wrote. Yo, I got the gig ten days ago! You want a perfect monologue? Shut up! You’re kidding me, right? I wrote some of these, and they’re the ones you’re laughing at.
Among his more successful jokes was one aimed at Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, which even drew a laugh from Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos.
Joking about the working habits of the royal family, Koy quipped: "Harry and Meghan Markle got paid millions for doing absolutely nothing – and that’s just by Netflix.”