ABC's hilarious Oscars promo featuring Ryan Gosling’s Ken scream over Greta Gerwig’s Barbie director snub

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13 Feb 2024, 17:10

Jimmy Kimmel seeks Oscars advice from Weird Barbie Kate McKinnon in star-studded promo.

ABC has rolled out the first promo for the upcoming Oscars, and it's not your typical glamour-filled affair.

Host Jimmy Kimmel takes centre stage in a wild recreation of Barbie, joined by the star-studded cast, including Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, and Kate McKinnon.

In a movie as unexpected as the pure quality of the Barbie movie, the promo directly calls out the Academy for snubbing Barbie filmmaker Greta Gerwig in the Best Director category, creating a hilarious and buzz worthy moment leading up to the awards show.

The promo kicks off with Kimmel seeking advice from Weird Barbie McKinnon on how to make it to the Oscars.

The journey takes them through the Oppenheimer set, providing an opportunity for Kimmel to take a familiar playful jab at his friend Matt Damon.

The adventure ends up in the Oscars lobby, where nominee Ferrera humorously discusses the challenges of hosting the Oscars.

Ferrera tells Kimmel, in a nod and a wink to her famous speech from the film about being a woman, that: "It’s literally impossible to host the Oscars. You have to be extraordinary, but somehow you’re always doing it wrong.

"You have to make fun of people, but you can’t make too much fun of people. You have to give everybody enough time, but you can’t go long.

"And you are the centre of attention, but no one cares you’re there. You can never show off, never fail, never show fear… no one says thank but everyone has something critical to say online. If it goes well, nobody says anything. If it doesn’t, it’s all your fault."

Then enters Gosling, wearing Ken’s I Am Kenough hoodie from Barbie and holding In-N-Out, referencing a viral social media moment.

Gosling, an Oscar nominee this year, quips: "Actually, the trend is to have In-N-Out after the Oscars." Kimmel corrects him, "Actually, after you’ve won the Oscar."

Gosling responds with a nod to Robert Downey Jr.'s frontrunner status, saying: "Well, that’s not going to happen. Good thing Greta has got [best] director in the bag!"

When Ferrera reveals that Gerwig is not a Best Director nominee, Gosling lets out his best Ken scream in horror, followed by Ferrera, McKinnon, and Kimmel.

The promo cleverly leverages the Barbie snub to create an amusing and memorable Oscars moment.

Gosling previously expressed disappointment in a statement, saying: "There is no Ken without Barbie, and there is no Barbie’ movie without Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, the two people most responsible for this history-making, globally-celebrated film."

In a playful response to his disappointment, Gosling joked with Variety: "I think if I say any more about it, I’m going to basically put on a mink and start challenging people to a beach-off on Malibu Beach."

Barbie is the highest-grossing nominee at the 2024 Academy Awards, with eight nominations, including Gerwig for adapted screenplay and Robbie for Best Picture.

Watch the full promo for yourself below:

The Oscars will air on ITV1 and ITVX - plus STV and STV Player - from 10.30pm on Sunday, 10th March. Red carpet coverage will begin at 9.30pm on ITVX.