Ryan Gosling's Iconic 'I'm Just Ken' Oscars Performance Almost Didn't Happen

One of the highlights during the 2024 Oscars was Ryan Gosling's 'I'm Just Ken' performance, but the 'Barbie' actor revealed it almost didn't happen.

Just one month after the film hit theaters, the song had over 100 million streams on Spotify and over 3 million views on YouTube, and those numbers continue to grow today.

'I'm Just Ken' became a worldwide phenomenon, so, of course, it had to be performed at the movie's biggest night, right?

Gosling recently appeared on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon' where the two discussed his epic 'I'm Just Ken' Oscars performance. Despite the reaction it got from fans, Gosling revealed it almost didn't happen because he initially said "100% no" when the Academy asked him.

When on the late-night show, Fallon asked Gosling, “The level of pressure on there… when the Oscars asked you to perform, they call you, and they go, ‘Would you want to do ‘I’m Just Ken?” Do you immediately go, ‘Yeah, I have to do this!’ Or no?”

To which Gosling immediately responded, "100% no."

“There’s a lot of ways that could go wrong,” he told the late-night host.

It's unclear what persuaded Gosling to finally agree to perform the hit song live at the 2024 Oscars, but fans are glad he did!

In total, ‘Barbie’ received eight nominations, but it only took home one award: 'Best Original Song' for Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell’s 'What Was I Made For?'

"Thank you so much to the Academy. I feel like—I just didn’t think this would happen. I was not expecting this," Ellish said in her acceptance speech. "I feel so incredibly lucky and honored. Thank you to Greta—where did you go? I love you! Thank you for this. I’m so thankful for this song, and for this movie, and the way that it made me feel."

She added, "And this goes out to everyone who was affected by the movie and how incredible it is. And I want to thank my team and my parents. I love you guys so much.”

While the summer blockbuster was a huge hit at the box office, it didn't receive as many Oscar nominations as many had thought.

For starters, Margot Robbie was not nominated for Best Actress for her role in the hit film, but Ryan Gosling received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Ken in the movie, which had fans livid, accusing the Academy of snubbing Robbie.

Robbie was not the only one to get snubbed at this year's Oscars. Greta Gerwig was not included in the Best Director nominations, though she was nominated for her screenwriter role in ‘Barbie’ for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Following the backlash, Gosling spoke out, defending the two women.

“[I am] disappointed that [Robbie and Gerwig] are not nominated in their respective categories," he told PEOPLE. “[While I am] extremely honored to be nominated, there is, no Ken without Barbie. And there is no Barbie movie without Greta Gerwigand Margot Robbie, the two people most responsible for this history-making, globally celebrated film.”

The 'Barbie' actor added, “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.”

Ahead of the Oscars, Robbie appeared on a panel at a special SAG screening, where she addressed the Oscars snub.

"There’s no way to feel sad when you know you’re this blessed," she said, per Deadline. “Obviously, I think Greta should be nominated as a director because what she did is a once-in-a-career, once-in-a-lifetime thing, what she pulled off, it really is, but it’s been an incredible year for all the films.”

America Ferrera, who also starred in 'Barbie' and was nominated for Best Supporting Actress, spoke out, telling Variety, “Greta has done just about everything that a director could do to deserve it."

She added, "Creating this world and taking something that didn’t have inherent value to most people and making it a global phenomenon. It feels disappointing to not see her on that list.”