Ryan Gosling is anything but “just” Ken. He’s also the master of comedic timing, which was on full display this past Sunday at the 2024 Critics Choice Awards. The Hollywood heavyweight put on his best deadpan face when his hit power ballad “I’m Just Ken” won. Of course, the internet went into full meme mode following the Crazy, Stupid, Love star’s hilarious reaction, which you can see in CinemaBlend’s exclusive clip embedded below, and we have a roundup of some of the best social media posts.
The best song category at the Critics’ Choice Awards was packed with tunes from the Barbie movie soundtrack. Two other chart-toppers, Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night” and Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For,” were in the mix. When presenters Bella Ramsey and Anthony Ramos announced the winner – the hilarious hit “I’m Just Ken” – Gosling looked totally surprised. The internet, ever creative, didn’t waste any time. Let’s check out some of the best X (formerly Twitter) posts.
According to Associate Editor of Us Weekly Kat Pettibone, no one backs into the meme treatment quite like the La La Land alum. She wrote:
no one tries harder to avoid becoming a meme than Ryan Gosling and no one fails harder at that than Ryan Gosling.
I have to agree. And we are all the better for it.
User @bowergrazi had the perfect meme to showcase the Nice Guys star’s reaction to the big win, and it involved a gorilla. This shocked primate, which you can see embedded below, perfectly encapsulates the actor’s perplexed face.
bella: and the critics choice awards goes to… i’m just kenryan gosling:pic.twitter.com/7WAoQX3qavJanuary 15, 2024
X user @thelasstime believes The First Man actor’s response to the award is eerily similar to an infamous Dance Moms moment. You know, based on this meme, I see the resemblance to Abby Lee Miller.
ryan gosling the moment they announced “i’m just ken” as winner: pic.twitter.com/O6tzlcL3yZJanuary 15, 2024
One fan with the user name @graciesfavgirl, seems to think Gosling’s shock comes from believing another song from the Barbie soundtrack was the clear winner. Their post, accompanied by an image of the actor’s stunned face, read:
ryan gosling when i’m just ken beat what was i made for 😭😭😭 oh he knows
After Billie Eilish’s Barbie song saga, I won’t lie; I would have been happy seeing that tune take home the gold. But, frankly, all the songs on the Barbie soundtrack were Kenough and worthy of winning.
According to @zerowontmiss, the Drive veteran’s worry stems from his fear of having to perform the hit at another upcoming award event. The fan wrote:
Ryan Gosling realizing he might just have to perform “I’m just Ken” at the Oscars
The Oscars are two months away, so, come on Academy, let’s make this happen.
After the announcement of winning the award, Ryan expressed his disbelief by jokingly shaking his head and applauding the song’s writers, Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt. After the pair took the stage to collect the award, Ronson addressed the Barbie cast member and Ken performer:
Ryan Gosling, this is as much your award as ours. You made the audience fall in love with this song with your matchless performance, so thank you.
So true. I am not sure the song would have been as big a hit as it has been without the heart and soul put into the performance by Ryan Gosling.
The Greta Gerwig-helmed flick had a big night at the event, with a whopping 18 award nominations, which should come as no surprise considering the film is regarded as one of the best of 2023. The movie’s nominations included Best Picture, Best Director, Original Screenplay, and performance awards for Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, and Ariana Greenblatt. Ferrera was honored with the SeeHer Award and, true to form, gave a beautiful Barbie speech.
If Gosling’s surprise at the song’s big win left you equally stunned, perhaps it’s because you haven’t caught the movie yet. You can do so by scoring a Max subscription where the flick is streaming. For those eagerly anticipating the possibility of Ryan performing his award-winning hit at the 96th Academy Awards, mark your calendars for Sunday, March 10th, and catch the live show on ABC.
