“Barbie” and “The Super Mario Brothers Movie” both came out in 2023 but, when awards season came around, only one of them got recognition for their viral original song. And admittedly, Jack Black had some professional jealousy about it.
Stopping by “The Tonight Show” in support of “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” the actor thanked Jimmy Fallon when the NBC host opined that Bowser, Black’s character from the franchise, didn’t get enough respect. Black argued that the animated villain was definitely loved by fans, but overlooked elsewhere.
“Bowser did not get any attention or love from the Academy,” Black recalled. “And I was like, ‘Dude, ‘Peaches’ is a banger.’”
The actor noted that, at least briefly, he thought his character’s song “Peaches” might grab an Oscar nomination, and that he even campaigned for it at least a little. It didn’t, but Gosling’s banger “I’m Just Ken” sure did (though the track ended up losing to Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” from the same film).
With that, Gosling — “The Goz” as Black called him — became Black’s archenemy.
“And I was like, ‘Son of a biscuit. This Gosling, always snacking on my potatoes,’” Black joked. “Look, I love ‘I’m Just Ken,’ love ‘Barbie’ movie. But I can’t pretend like there wasn’t a little professional jealousy!”
The actor then revealed that he actually wrote a short song about the situation, promising revenge from Bowser, and promptly performed it for the crowd.
You can watch Jack Black’s full appearance and song on “The Tonight Show” in the video above.