‘Ken’ Is Renting Out Barbie’s Malibu Dreamhouse for Free on Airbnb

Late Sunday, John Schreiber, a CBS Los Angeles photojournalist, captured drone footage of a mansion nestled in the Malibu hills. But its three Barbie-pink stories, outdoor dance floor, water slide, and gym indicated it wasn’t just any hulking home of the obscenely wealthy. That’s right: Schreiber had happened upon none other than Barbie’s Dreamhouse—only, it’s supposedly not hers at the moment. As the inflatables in the Olympic-sized pool and a truly unhinged press release reveal, it’s Ken’s….temporarily.

On Monday it was announced that Ken—yes, the doll who doesn’t have a job or his own money, only a strange, sad crotch—will open the home to guests for the low, low price of nothing via AirBnB! A real man of the people, am I right? Wrong. According to AirBnB’s release, Ken simply “couldn’t figure out how to put a price on Barbie’s Malibu Dreamhouse.” Talk about committing to a bit. We get it, guys. Ken’s a himbo.

So yes, this is yet another genius marketing ploy ahead of Barbie’s release. Fans can begin making requests to stay at the Dreamhouse on Monday, July 17, at 10 a.m. PT. Just two one-night stays for two guests will be accepted on July 21 and July 22—the weekend Greta Gerwig’s hotly-anticipated film hits theaters. Airbnb, I’ll note, is also making a donation to Save the Children in the name of “girl’s empowerment” ahead of the premiere.

“We all have dreams, and Barbie is lucky enough to have a house full of them,” Ken said in his own statement. “But now, it’s my turn, and I can’t wait to host guests inside these one-of-a-kind–dare I say, one-of-a-Ken?–digs.”

The home’s listing promises an “awesome wardrobe,” outdoor disco dance floor, and sick gear like Impala skates and a surfboard guests will be able to take home with them. Why lie? I’m going to enter a request in the hopes of a photoshoot in the western bedroom.

Now, I fear I really must recall Ryan Gosling’s comments on his portrayal of Ken in the upcoming film. As he noted last July, life in plastic is actually not all that fantastic for the Ken of Gerwig’s conception: “Ken’s got no money, he’s got no job, he’s got no car, he’s got no house. He’s going through some stuff,” Gosling told Entertainment Tonight. No house, huh? Well, this man clearly has no problem squatting in Barbie’s and opening its doors to complete strangers.

As the team behind the Barbie movie continue to max out the Warner Bros. corporate card, the good folks charged with hyping Oppenheimer’s release (the same day as Barbie’s by the way) are just…putting Cillian Murphy through Zoom interviews like it’s 2021. As many on Twitter have already noted, they have a real opportunity to up the ante and demo the Dreamhouse.

The jokes, they write themselves.

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• Offset accused Cardi B of cheating via a since-deleted Instagram story. She says he’s full of shit. [Cosmopolitan]
• Jen Shah (“#ZenJen”) is acing anger management courses in prison. [Page Six]
• Jennifer Lawrence insisted she didn’t have an affair with Liam Hemsworth, then kissed Andy Cohen. [Entertainment Tonight]
• Rachel “Raquel” Leviss remains M.I.A. as production on Vanderpump Rules returns. [TMZ]
• Michael Jackson’s corporation is being sued by survivors of his alleged molestation. [Daily Mail]