‘Alabama scared the s–t out of me’: Jo Koy once roasted state during special

Comedian Jo Koy has enjoyed a long and successful standup career, despite what you might think of his opening monologue during the 81st annual Golden Globes.

Koy drew mixed reviews as host of the awards show held in The Beverly Hilton on Sunday, prompting some of us to delve deeper into the Tacoma, Washington, native’s career including a handful of Netflix specials you can stream right now.

Koy’s first special, though, aired on Comedy Central. Called “Don’t Make Him Angry,” Koy’s 2009 special was his first of six culminating with 2022′s “Live from the LA Forum.”

During “Don’t Make Him Angry,” the comic raised in Las Vegas has some material on Alabama. “My first time in Alabama was really something,” the YouTube description reads in an upload from 2015.

Filming in New York, Koy shouts out the hometown crowd before he tells stories from the road and how he ultimately ended up in his Big Apple destination.

“I couldn’t wait to come to New York, but there’s other places that I have to go to,” he said. “And you go, and you’re like, ‘This place is a state?’ Like Alabama.”

Koy gasped, as did the audience, before he continued.

“Oh my God, Alabama. I had to do a show in Alabama. Son of a b—-h,” Koy said. “I was the only Asian in Alabama…And they didn’t even wait until the show to start to see me. They were outside my hotel room, just looking.”

Koy then did what can only be described as a country bumpkin face and voice, as he mimicked the would-be fans outside his room. “Come to the winduh,” he said they said.

“Alabama scared the s–t out of me,” Koy mused, recalling a ride in a pickup truck (with a dog in the back to watch his luggage) from a driver who asked if it was his first time in the state. “Unfortunately,” he said, drawing big laughs. “‘You want to go to the hotel first?’” Koy said, quoting the Alabama man. “‘That’s the only option,’” Koy replied.

“Like I flew to Alabama to f—ing hang out with this guy,” the bit concluded. “This guy scared the s–t out of me. We’re in a pickup truck. I’m scared for my life. The dog’s sitting on my luggage. This guy could have easily went, ‘Hey, I’m gonna drive to the woods and f–k you real quick.’ The toughest thing I would have said was ‘All right, just make sure I get my luggage.’”

You can stream “Don’t Make Him Angry” on Paramount+ now.

Watch the bit in the video above or on YouTube.

Koy is a standup comedian and actor born in Tacoma, Washington. The 52-year-old comic, who grew up in Washington state and Las Vegas, appeared as a television panelist and had a few standup specials to his name. He began his standup career in Las Vegas circa 1994 and would grab a regular spot on “Catch a Rising Star” at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino before he was discovered and booked for BET’s “ComicView.”

Koy served as a panelist on the E! late night talk show “Chelsea Lately,” hosted by Chelsea Handler, as well as VH1′s popular time capsule shows “I Love the ‘70′s,” “’80′s” and “‘90′s.” He’s also appeared on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” “Last Call with Carson Daly” and other nationally televised talk shows. He has appeared on television shows like “Mr. Iglesias” and “Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens,” as well as films like “Anastasia: Once Upon a Time,” 2022′s “Easter Sunday” and 2023′s “The Haunted Mansion.” He had two Comedy Central standup specials, 2009′s “Don’t Make Him Angry” and 2012′s “Lights Out.”

Koy has also performed live in Alabama, including at Birmingham’s Alabama Theatre in November 2023.

You can watch all four of Koy’s Netflix original standup specials on the streamer now, including 2017′s “Live from Seattle,” 2019′s “Comin’ in Hot,” 2020′s “In His Elements” and 2022′s “Live from the LA Forum.”

Koy also does voice work in the new Netflix animated film “Leo,” also starring Adam Sandler and directed by Robert Smigel.