Barbie Made An Otherwise Serious Oscars Night A Pink-tacular Party

Oppenheimer might have been the big winner at the 2024 Oscars, but the other half of Barbenheimer brought all the playful, party spirit to the March 10 ceremony.

The Academy Awards marked the zenith of Barbie’s grip on pop culture: the theories, the shocking pink Barbiecore, the Barbie bangs, and the heart-wrenching relatability of “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish.

The movie’s spirit will live on, but this may be its last official celebration for a while — unless that sequel pans out. Accordingly, the show incorporated many elements of the film into the evening, from the promo clip featuring Kate McKinnon’s Weird Barbie to two knockout musical performances.

Hi, Barbie!

One of the sweetest moments happened before the ceremony began. As several fans on X (formerly Twitter) noted, this might be last time for Margot Robbie to receive and dole out “Hi, Barbie!” greetings on the red carpet — at least for a while. If so, what a fitting bookend to this era.

As Robbie recently told The Hollywood Reporter, she’s still all about Barbie pink, even if she didn’t wear it to the Oscars. “I will love it forever,” she said. “I only have happy memories associated with it. I love the color. It looks great on everyone.”

Billie Eilish Gets Her Flowers

Billie Eilish received a standing ovation for her stunning performance of “What Was I Made For?” alongside her brother and collaborator, Finneas. She could only muster a touched “whoa” at the audience’s reaction.

The Rivalry Lives On

Last summer, cinephiles planned how to spend an entire July day in the movie theater, watching Barbie and Oppenheimer back to back. So when Emily Blunt and Ryan Gosling teamed up to present an award, it was a natural opportunity for a friendly rivalry to live on.

“I kind of figured out why they called it ‘Barbenheimer’ and they didn’t call it ‘Oppenbarbie,’” Gosling said to Blunt. “You guys are the tail end of that, because you guys were riding Barbie’s coattails all summer.”

Blunt quickly replied, “Thanks for Ken-splaining that to me, all right? Mr. ‘I need to paint my abs on to get nominated.’ You don’t see Robert Downey doing that.”

“I’m Just Ken” Takes The Stage

Soon after, Gosling returned to the stage for a much-anticipated performance of “I’m Just Ken.”

Before Oscar night, he’d told W Magazine, “I wasn’t thinking about it until now, and now it’s all I’m going to think about. ... Do you get paid to sing at the Oscars? Do you have to drive yourself? What kind of scratch is involved? They pick you up at least, right?”

It seems Gosling figured out the logistics because he delivered a lively performance of the Ken anthem with enormous production value, taking time to dance with his Barbie team, who was seated in the audience.

Barbie’s Big Win Of The Night

Of course, Barbie couldn’t end its run without setting some type of record. The movie’s sole Oscar went to Eilish and Finneas for Best Original Song, making the siblings the youngest two-time winners in Academy history.