Why Is This Ryan Gosling & Simu Liu Red Carpet Moment Being Called Barbie's 'Spitgate'?!

Did the Kens got into a tiff in the middle of a red carpet??

Ryan Gosling and Simu Liu are at the center of a viral moment from the Toronto premiere of their new film Barbie — which is now being dubbed another “Spitgate”!

In a viral interaction between the pair, which took place on June 28, they can be seen standing side-by-side and posing for photographers when the Shang-Chi star put his arm around Ryan’s back. But the friendly move was quickly rebuffed by the Canadian actor, in what some think is a diss similar to when it looked like Harry Styles spit on Chris Pine at the Don’t Worry Darling premiere!

Why so similar? Well, The Notebook alum quickly looked down at Simu’s arm wrapped around him in a disapproving way, which prompted the latter to ask if he didn’t want him to touch his back. Gosling then asked:

“Do you want to?”

His co-star responded:

“It’s too tender, you think?”

Eva Mendes‘ husband responded:

“Yeah, it’s a little bit.”

Both stars then put their hands in their pockets and continued on with the photo session, looking like a couple cool, totally separate, Canadians. Ch-ch-check out the awkward moment (below)!

You asked for it! Here’s the full clip of Ryan Gosling and Simu Liu interacting on the #Barbie movie red carpet in Toronto ???? The Kenmance is strong ???? pic.twitter.com/D8uoWbCR0P

— Etalk (@etalkCTV) July 26, 2023

Oof!

Many fans took to Twitter with some hot takes on the scene, with many calling it “embarrassing” and “painful” to watch! Some thought Ryan was pissed, some thought Simu was in the wrong for the touching, comments are all over the place. Here’s a few:

“Oh I’d literally never show my face again”

“This is so embarrassing”

“omg this is so painful to watch.”

“He [Ryan] should’ve just not said anything , this just makes it more awkward. Like I feel embarrassed for him. I need to log out”

“Oh he is MAD”

Dubbing it Spitgate 2.0, some viewers noted:

“This is Barbie’s ‘DID HE SPIT ON HIM??’ moment”

“the new harry styles chris pine.”

LOLz! Does it have the makings of a mystery feud? Well, not everyone is convinced this was as deep as it seems — and they think it might have more to do with their on-screen characters’ rivalry than IRL friendship, sharing:

“I mean you supposed to ask before you touch someone”

“I think they were just trying to figure out how to pose together. That’s all I saw”

“I think it’s their characters playing like they hate each other cause they are in competition with each other in the movie. It ain’t that deep”

A good theory, but they definitely weren’t in character for the full red carpet moment, so we doubt they were trying to play up their fake beef. Frankly it seemed to us they got through a bit of an awkward interaction pretty easily.

Thankfully, Simu is now clearing the air on the possible fight! Posting a photo of the pair smiling at the premiere, the star clapped back at the criticism in his IG Story, saying:

“I’d beach off with this Kenadian again in a heartbeat. He is the best human in every way, especially when he jokes around with us on the carpet and on set, infecting all of us with his kenergy. Now let’s get back to the issues that matter, like supporting our striking actors and writers fighting for fair wages!”

Simu Liu addresses viral awkward red carpet moment between him and Ryan Gosling:

“He is the best human in every way
especially when he jokes around with us on the carpet and on set, infecting all of us with his kenergy… Now let's get back to the issues that matter, like… pic.twitter.com/g8U5F7T1gU

— Pop Base (@PopBase) July 27, 2023