After We Learned Ryan Gosling Is Performing ‘I’m Just Ken’ At The Oscars, Barbie Fans Have All The Feelings

After it was announced that Ryan Gosling’s “I’m Just Ken” song from Barbie was nominated at the 2024 Oscars, there was one question on fans' minds. "Will the the Canadian actor actually perform the chart-topper during the ceremony?" Well, the wait for answers eventually ended, over as it was revealed that Gosling will, in fact, bring out his Kenergy to perform this hit song, and we'll finally get to see the culmination of his work during tonight's telecast. And, after Barbie fans found out about this incredible news, they had no problems sharing their feel-good emotions on social media.

What Are Fans Saying About The "I'm Just Ken" Performance?

It really is the best news finding out Ryan Gosling will sing “I’m Just Ken” compared to finding another singer to take the reins on this one. After all, that’s what happened when the Oscars made a huge mistake in 2017 by not having Gosling sing La La Land’s nominated song “City of Stars.” 

Luckily, sources told Variety that the actor who delighted audiences playing Ken will perform his hit single. I’m not the only one excited by this. Social media users didn’t hold back on the happy posts reacting to the news. Take this X post, in which a fan reveals what they're looking forward to:

I’m in the same boat. Ryan Gosling absolutely has to bring out his utmost Kenergy to his Oscars ceremony performance. And I’m talking about the heart-shaped hand gestures, the Grease-like choreography and his expressive facial and body gestures similar to what we saw in the Warner Bros. movie. Plus, maybe other Kens like Simu Liu and Kingsley Ben-Adir can join in on the performance. Another X user posted a GIF to express their desire to see Gosling’s song at the ceremony, and it’s completely hilarious:

Yep, I’d be running for the TV, too. I guarantee this power ballad performance will be a standout moment at this year’s Oscars. While we know Billie Eilish is going to blow us away singing her moving Barbie song “What Was I Made For?,” “I’m Just Ken” will surely provide a jolt of energy that’ll make us smile and maybe laugh. A hilarious X user summed up how we probably looked when we first got the news of Ryan Gosling getting to sing:

Everyone, feel free to do your happy dance. It’s hard to believe that “I’m Just Ken” was almost going to be an almost very different sequence. Originally, Ken’s song was just going to be placed somewhere in the film and wasn't meant to be an entire epic moment. Director Greta Gerwig was inspired to create the dance sequence knowing people were blown away seeing dance numbers on film like in Singin’ in the Rain. Without these changes, who knows if the song would have gotten the same recognition it has now. This TikTok video posted on X had one user describe what their reaction would be once the actor starts singing.

Who would have thought the Oscars might have an audience of screaming girls watching from home? Considering reactions to the reveal of Ryan Gosling’s chiseled abs saw fans swooning, fans are sure to relish seeing the Mickey Mouse Club member give it all he’s got on that Oscars stage. Maybe it can even help boost the award show's ratings. One social media post clapped back at another post predicting Gosling losing Best Supporting Actor:

The star is surely feeling the love in the lead-up to his performance. In addition to all of that though, I'm just happy that he's officially doing it after much speculation.

What Was Said About Ryan Gosling's Performance Ahead Of The Confirmation?

As mentioned, many wondered whether the star might actually perform the song live. Even before the Oscar nomination was announced, many assumed a performance could happen should a nod from the Academy come down. Someone who dropped thoughts on an "I'm Just Ken" performance was Mark Ronson, who co-wrote and produced the song. Ronson, speaking after the nod was announced, was unsure of whether it would happen but said he thought the idea was "great."

Another person who weighed in was Ken actor Kingsley Ben-Adir, who spoke after the nominations came out as well. He also didn't know what to expect but said he was down to appear in the performance if needed. It would indeed be cool if we got to see him and other actors like Simu Liu and Scott Evans take part. There are plenty of possibilities for this performance, and I'm eager to see how it plays out.

Aside from the music of the night, Ryan Gosling is a top competitor for Best Supporting Actor alongside Oppenheimer’s Robert Downey Jr., who’s won this honor at all of the major award shows so far. There’s a very good chance the Iron Man star will beach off Gosling at the Oscars. On the other hand, there’s an alternate scenario where the Oscars could perform an upset and have The Notebook star be the winner. That did happen last year when Angela Bassett was the predicted winner for Best Supporting Actress only for Jamie Lee Curtis’ win to be one of the biggest surprises that year. As the X user said, Gosling might not win the Oscar, but he’ll be Kenough winning everyone over with his musical performance.

I’m sure fans will be racing to their TVs to catch Ryan Gosling perform his popular hit “I’m Just Ken” tonight. You can see it for yourself when the 96th Academy Awards air this evening, March 10th, at 7 p.m. ET on ABC. Until then, ready yourself for the predicted scene-stealing Oscars moment by watching the "dream ballet" song in Barbie using a Max subscription.