Ryan Gosling Brought His Mom and Sister to the Oscars Instead of Wife Eva Mendes

Although he went home without any trophies, Ryan Gosling was undoubtedly one of the MVPs of the 2024 Oscars. The Barbie star's performance of "I'm Just Ken" was one of the night's great spectacles. The performance was anchored by Ryan's utter commitment to the song and his impressively strong vocals.

Following that performance and Ryan's great night in general, many wanted to know more about who accompanied him to the ceremony. Although Ryan has been with his wife Eva Mendes for more than a decade, she wasn't his date at the 2024 ceremony.

Ryan brought his mom, Donna Gosling, and his sister, Mandi Gosling, to the ceremony. His stepfather, Valerio Attanasio, was also in attendance and presumably accompanying Ryan's mother.

Ryan's longtime partner Eva Mendes wasn't in attendance, but showed her support via an Instagram post of herself outside his Oscars dressing room along with the caption “Always by my man." The post was accompanied by audio of "I'm Just Ken."

It isn't unusual for Ryan and Eva not to attend events with one another. The couple are notoriously private and are rarely seen walking red carpets together. They share two daughters, and since their relationship began, Eva has intentionally chosen to work with less frequency and spend more time with her children. Although Ryan arrived in a black Gucci suit, he changed into a pink suit for his performance of "I'm Just Ken."

Although romance is alive and well in Hollywood, plenty of the world's biggest stars have brought their mothers to the Oscars at least once. Actors Ben Affleck and Matt Damon have both done it, as has Natalie Portman and numerous others.

Bradley Cooper's habit of bringing his mother to awards shows even got an explicit callout from host Jimmy Kimmel because he does it so frequently, including at this year's ceremony.

In addition to performing "I'm Just Ken," Ryan was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Ken in Barbie. He ultimately lost out on the award to Robert Downey Jr.'s work in Oppenheimer. Ryan had been nominated twice before, both times in Best Actor, for his work in the 2006 film Half Nelson and 2016's La La Land.

Ryan has yet to win an Oscar, but, given how rapturously his performance was greeted at this year's ceremony, it seems like he may eventually win one. For now, though, it seems like Ryan is content to just get up on stage and make a fool of himself.

Ken may not have won Ryan any awards, but it's undoubtedly one of the performances that will come to define his career in the years ahead. Barbie was a huge movie, and one of the major reasons for its success was the commitment that Ryan brought to his central performance.