Wolfgang Van Halen says 2024 Oscars prep was more stressful than wedding

Wolfgang Van Halen admittedly felt some anxious Kenergy during Hollywood’s biggest night on Sunday.

The musician and wife Andraia Allsop joined PEOPLE on the 2024 Oscars red carpet before Van Halen took the stage to perform Barbie anthem “I’m Just Ken” alongside star and nominee Ryan Gosling and fellow guitarist Slash, where the couple compared getting ready for the big ceremony to their October 2023 nuptials.

“It actually felt like we were getting ready for our wedding today,” Allsop said.

Van Halen laughed and said,  “I think it was more stressful getting ready today.” He added, “I’m happy to be here, very happy to be part of this and support my buddy Mark [Ronson, soundtrack producer].”

Van Halen was also joined by his mother Valerie Bertinelli, who could not be prouder of her son. “I’m excited!” she said. “I’m here to support Wolfie, the Barbie movie, because Wolfie’s all throughout it. He did a lot of work with Mark for two days, and I’m really proud of him so I want to support him.”

“It’s so fun because I watch the movie and I hear Wolfie all throughout the chase scene, I hear Wolfie all throughout the Ken fight scene, and it’s just like, ‘That’s my boy!'” Bertinelli gushed.

Van Halen, who is also son of the late Eddie Van Halen, plays guitar on the ’80s rock ballad alongside Slash and Josh Freese on the drums. He and Slash joined Gosling and dozens of other Kens in cowboy hats (including Simu Liu, Ncuti Gatwa, Scott Evans, and Kingsley Ben-Adir) on stage for an electrifying performance and sing-along that saw director Greta Gerwig, stars Margot Robbie and America Ferrera, and Poor Things winner Emma Stone, among others, belt out the lyrics to the Ken anthem.

“I’m Just Ken,” written and produced by Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, was nominated in the Best Original Song category at the ceremony. The statuette went to fellow Barbie collaborators Billie Eilis and Finneas O’Connell for “What Was I Made For?” the heart-wrenching ballad that the duo has described as Barbie’s “heart song.” The summer blockbuster picked up six other nominations that night, including the coveted Best Picture — but that win went to “rival” Oppenheimer.

Check out more from EW’s The Awardist, featuring exclusive interviews, analysis, and our podcast diving into all the highlights from the year’s best in TV.

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