Ryan Gosling’s “I’m Just Ken” Performance Was Somehow Even Better Than Expected

When it was announced that Barbie’s Ryan Gosling would perform “I’m Just Ken”—one of two Oscar-nominated songs from the hit movie—at the ceremony, it instantly became the most anticipated moment of the night. The idea of Gosling heating up the Oscars stage with the film’s high point, a five-minute-long ballet fantasia, had endless possibilities for awards night greatness. For one, Gosling is known for rising to the challenge when it’s time to get silly and display some Kenergy—which he’s been doing his entire career. For two, the Oscar-nominated Best Original Songs tend to be meaningful yet slow, ponderous ballads meant to elicit tears—much like the favored nominee this year, the other song from Barbie and the eventual winner, Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?”

But when the time came, my wildest expectations were far exceeded. In an inspired move, Gosling began the number in the audience—next to co-star Margot Robbie and in front of co-nominee Billie Eilish, a seating arrangement that gave us incredible meme-worthy reactions—donning a wonderful sparkly hot-pink suit with matching gloves, sunglasses, and a Black cowboy hat, which disguised him momentarily before he playfully placed it on the head of his sister, his date for the evening. He made his way to the stage, joining Mark Ronson (the song’s co-writer and the producer of the Barbie soundtrack) and forever altering the understanding of an Oscars musical presentation.

Here is where I am obligated to tell you something (which should be no surprise, given Gosling’s history of crooning, but still is): Gosling sounded good, folks. I’m talking … better than Grammy-winning jazz mastermind Jon Batiste, who gave an unusually pitchy performance of his nominated song earlier in the evening. If that weren’t enough, the spectacle was, well, just that, right down to the pink candy-cane tuxedos straight out of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

“I’m Just Ken” had everything it promised: a group of spiffy, cowboy hat–wearing, besuited, dancing Kens on pink risers? Check! Fellow Kens from the movie Simu Liu, Kingsley Ben-Adir, and Ncuti Gatwa practically auditioning for Broadway? Check! A Khorus of Kens that seems to multiply multiple times over the course of a few minutes? Don’t you know it! These dressed-up live-action dolls even re-create the Ken war from the film, engaging in fake fisticuffs while Gosling steps up to the mic stand, owning the stage like the bona fide rock star he is. Speaking of rock stars, he is even joined by the performance’s biggest surprise, a guitar solo by Guns N’ Roses guitar god Slash.

Somehow it gets better? The star enlists the help of the nearest Barbie women—director Greta Gerwig, star and producer Robbie, and Oscar-nominated supporting actress America Ferrera—to sing with him. Mind you, Slash is still playing an intricate, dramatic guitar solo while this is happening. Then Gosling sticks the mic in the face of his former co-star Emma Stone, while she sings the line that solidifies her as an honorary member of one of the male dolls: “My name’s Ken … and so am I,” Stone belts. In the campiest moment (yes, campier than … everything I just said), upon belting the line “Put that manly hand in mine,” Gosling grabs and kisses the hand of an unseen cameraman.

When all was said and done, the audience stood and cheered, the watchers at home screamed, the history of rock ’n’ roll was rewritten, even Cillian Murphy, proud Irishman, seemed for a second to wish he were American. In Gosling’s concert hall, everyone is Kenough.