Why Emma Stone Is Scared To Make Any Jokes About Pal Taylor Swift
Emma Stone and Taylor Swift have kept their celebrity friendship out of the spotlight for the most part, which doesn't mean the famous duo has managed to avoid press attention altogether. Their connection dates back to 2008 when they first met at an awards show and instantly hit it off. In a 2023 interview with Vanity Fair, Stone gushed about her longtime friend: "I've known her since we were 17 and 18." The "Easy A" star continued, "[Swift's] a wonderful friend. She blows my mind." This wasn't the first time Stone publicly praised Swift either.
In 2010, Stone told MTV that the "Bad Blood" hitmaker has a side to her that not many people know about. However, while Stone's characteristic sarcastic wit might mesh well with Swift's "sick sense of humor," it hasn't always translated smoothly beyond their friendship circle. Despite their lasting bond, Stone's offhanded joke about her famous friend landed her in hot water. During a press conference after she won Best Actress at the 2024 Golden Globes, Stone jokingly called Swift "an a**hole" for her support, and she soon came to regret it (via YouTube).
During a subsequent chat with Variety, the "Superbad" star explained why she wouldn't be making any more jokes about Swift, at least in public. "I saw headlines that really pulled it out of context," Stone asserted. While there's no bad blood between the two stars, Swift's fan base wasn't amused.
Stone's joke was misinterpreted as inappropriate and rude
Emma Stone's performance in the surrealist 2023 comedy "Poor Things" earned her a Golden Globe win, and while discussing the feat with reporters, the actor was asked about Taylor Swift's support. Swift, who was seen enthusiastically cheering Stone on as she won the award, has long been an avid fan of her friend's work. The actor took the opportunity to make a joke, humorously responding, "What an a**hole, am I right?"
In a more serious tone, she continued, "I've known her for almost 20 years, and I was very happy she was [at the Golden Globes.] She was also nominated tonight, which was wonderful," before calling Swift "an a**hole" again (via X, formerly known as Twitter). While clearly intended as a light-hearted joke, some social media users criticized Stone's remark as inappropriate. One X user argued, "Emma Stone should have had a better response [than] 'the a**hole' about a friend. That is not a joke," while another penned, "What was that all about? Passive aggressive or just jealous?"
Similarly, YouTube Swifties weren't thrilled either. Under a Page Six video of the press conference, one user commented, "That was no joke. That's kind of rude," while another wrote, "Doesn't seem like a joke. Also, she had to repeat it again?! Shocking." In addition to Stone's joke not landing well among Swift's fan base, some of them took the imaginative drama a step further.
Stone was falsely accused of bashing another celebrity
Not only did Emma Stone stir online controversy for her comments about Taylor Swift at the 2024 Golden Globes, but some fans were convinced she was bashing the ceremony's host, Jo Koy, too. The comedian made a controversial joke about Swift during his opening monologue, quipping, "The big difference between the Golden Globes and the NFL? At the Golden Globes, we have fewer camera shots of Taylor Swift," (via CNN). Swift's reaction to Koy's joke spoke volumes, leading to backlash from her considerable fan base.
"This was mean and embarrassing," one person wrote on X, while another user tweeted, "Time to pick another host; he's making the poor girl uncomfortable." As discussions about Koy's joke and Swift's response circulated online, Stone unintentionally became entangled in the narrative. Multiple X users took the footage from the aforementioned Golden Globes press conference and claimed Stone was referring to Koy when she said "What an a**hole," with one such post amassing over 340,000 views at the time of writing.
While it's quite clear why the "La La Land" star has decided to steer clear of making any more jokes about Swift, several social media users were confused about why Stone was even asked about Swift in the first place. One person suggested that the journalist posing the question sought media attention by bringing up Swift rather than focusing on her win, while another pointed out how inappropriate it was to discuss Swift rather than Stone herself.