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Actor Simu Liu is making one thing very clear.
Liu, who was announced as host of the 2024 People’s Choice Awards on Thursday, says he will not poke fun at Taylor Swift.
“There will be no Taylor slander at the 2024 PCAs that’s a personal guarantee,” Liu tweeted.
The “Shang-Chi” and “Barbie” star was referring to comedian Jo Koy’s ill-fated attempt to poke fun at Taylor Swift’s popularity when Koy hosted Sunday night’s Golden Globe Awards.
“As you know, we came on after a football double-header,” he told the crowd at the Beverly Hilton. “The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL? At the Golden Globes, we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift.”
Laughter was limited and, while the joke may have bombed, a cutaway of Swift in the crowd made matters worse.
The pop star seemed unamused and simply stared at the host while taking a sip of her drink. Social media reaction was scathing.
Koy joined Sam Rubin on the KTLA 5 Morning News on Monday and talked about the reaction.
“We didn’t understand why they were upset and we were just like, ‘OK, the joke was NFL.’ [The] NFL is using that for cutaways, which is great, bringing a lot of publicity to the NFL. The joke was like, ‘It’s fewer cutaways to her.’”
Koy added that he thought the expression on Taylor’s face may have had little to do with his joke.
“No one’s listening to me on stage! Unless I directly talk to them. Like, if I wasn’t saying ‘Hey Robert De Niro’ and he’s like ‘Oh yes,’” he explained. “Taylor was probably talking about something else, so I don’t know.”
“I love Taylor,” he told Rubin. “It was just a joke about the NFL using cutaways [and] always going to Taylor when people are trying to watch the Chiefs play. That’s all.”
Taylor Swift is nominated for five People’s Choice Awards and her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, is nominated for Athlete of the Year.
Liu is also nominated for an award for his co-starring role in “Barbie.”
“I’m so grateful to have been asked to step up to the hosting plate for the 2024 ‘People’s Choice Awards,’ the Canadian actor said in a statement provided by NBC Universal. “It’s exciting to celebrate this incredible year in pop culture, and to do so with the incredible fans that make what we do possible,”
The People’s Choice Awards airs Sunday, Feb. 18, at 5 p.m. Pacific on NBC, E! and Peacock.
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