Kevin Hart joined The Independent for a recent interview in which he called Jo Koy a “phenomenal” stand-up comedian following the disastrous reviews Koy earned as the host of the 2024 Golden Globe Awards. Hart made headlines earlier this month when he said he will never host the Oscars because award shows “just aren’t comedy-friendly environments anymore,” and he doubled down on that opinion while talking about Koy. He argued that Koy had a far more difficult time connecting to the celebrities in the room because he’s just not an industry comic.

“Look, the climate of comedy attached to award shows has just changed drastically,” Hart said. “And as a talent, if you don’t have the relationships that are in that room, those rooms can be cold. I don’t consider [awards shows] to be good gigs at this point.”