Ryan Gosling’s ‘I’m Just Ken’ Performance Paid Hilarious Tribute to Gentleman Prefer Blondes

“He’s just Ken,” but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t enjoy a good film reference. For their performance of best-original-song nominee “I’m Just Ken” at the 2024 Oscars, Ryan Gosling and Mark Ronson paid tribute to Marilyn Monroe’s performance of “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” in Howard Hawks’s 1953 film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Like Monroe, Gosling donned a fuchsia pink ensemble and descended a staircase littered with tuxedo-clad men in a choreographic number. But it wasn’t a fully faithful homage: Guns N’ Roses’s Slash joined in on the fun with a guitar riff, and then Gosling let his fellow Barbie-mates take the mic.

Photo: Courtesy Everett Collection

Ryan GoslingPhoto: Getty Images

While the hit song didn’t end up winning the award—it went to fellow Barbie crooner Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell for “What Was I Made For?”—Gosling’s performance was certainly a highlight of the night. (As Emma Stone would later admit in her acceptance speech for best actress, she ripped her dress jiving along.)

While much of the Barbie press tour riffed on vintage (just see…any of Margot Robbie’s doll-inspired looks), it was refreshing to see Gosling’s moment look outside of the Barbie universe. Selecting a film about blondes having more fun—and featuring one of Hollywood history’s most beloved musical numbers—was a brilliant choice. The verdict? Diamonds are a Ken’s BF, too!