Arguably one of the most highly-anticipated Oscar performances of the night—if not in the ceremony’s entire history??—arrived with the fanfare to befit its star. Ryan Gosling took the stage in a spectacularly bedazzled pink suit to perform the most over-the-top rendition of “I’m Just Ken,” his viral Oscar-nominated track from Barbie. He was joined by a few fellow Barbie cast members (including Simu Liu and Ncuti Gatwa), 65 male dancers, dozens of cardboard cutouts of the original Barbie doll’s head, and ... the guitarist Slash.

Near the end of the performance, Gosling made sure to pay tribute to his muses, sharing the microphone with Barbie director Greta Gerwig, actresses Margot Robbie and America Ferrera, and his La La Land co-star Emma Stone so they could relish a little “I’m Just Ken” karaoke. As one of our lovely colleagues put it, “Can you give out an Oscar for an Oscars performance?”

See clips and images of the spectacle below:

xView full post on X

In early January, before Oscar nominations were even shared, Gosling first addressed the idea to W that he would sing “I’m Just Ken” at the Oscars. “Well, I haven’t been invited [to the ceremony],” he said at the time. “And I wasn’t thinking about it until now, and now it’s all I’m going to think about. Do you get paid to sing at the Oscars? Do you have to drive yourself? What kind of scratch is involved? They pick you up at least, right?”

When he was asked what his go-to karaoke song was in the same interview, he responded, “I don’t have one. I only sing at the Oscars.…Oh no, wait, I don’t.”

Gosling ultimately snagged a Best Supporting Actor nomination for playing Ken in Barbie, while Robbie, who played Barbie, and Gerwig, who directed the film, were snubbed from those categories.

Gosling acknowledged this in his statement on his nomination. He said: “I am extremely honored to be nominated by my colleagues alongside such remarkable artists in a year of so many great films. And I never thought I’d being saying this, but I’m also incredibly honored and proud that it’s for portraying a plastic doll named Ken. But there is no Ken without Barbie, and there is no Barbie movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, the two people most responsible for this history-making, globally-celebrated film. No recognition would be possible for anyone on the film without their talent, grit and genius. To say that I’m disappointed that they are not nominated in their respective categories would be an understatement. Against all odds with nothing but a couple of soulless, scantily clad, and thankfully crotchless dolls, they made us laugh, they broke our hearts, they pushed the culture, and they made history. Their work should be recognized along with the other very deserving nominees. Having said that, I am so happy for America Ferrera [who received a Best Supporting Actress nomination] and the other incredible artists who contributed their talents to making this such a groundbreaking film.”

The man knows his place!!