Karen Hoydic is a 53-year-old mother of three and accountant from Lawrenceville, GA. But that is not her claim to fame. Hoydic will be forever remembered as the woman who straddled one Ryan Gosling on Jimmy Kimmel Live! She will be honored as the woman who actualized the dreams of millions of people — and she did it on national television.
Hoydic's been enjoying her newfound internet fame. "It has been a fun ride," she told me over the phone today. "I was so nervous during the show, but the aftermath has been nothing but fun. Definitely one for the record book that I won't soon forget."
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And I'm not quite ready to let her forget it, either. So I spoke with Hoydic about how she got to be the lucky gal in the audience, how she improvised mounting the Gos, and yes, what the actor smelled like.
What brought you to Jimmy Kimmel Live in the first place?
“My sister lives in southern California and I was out there visiting her with a girlfriend for my birthday. I’m a big Jimmy Kimmel fan, so we put in for tickets. Of course you don’t know who the guest stars are gonna be. I was just excited to go see Kimmel. So then my sister on Saturday morning had sent me a text that the guests were Ryan Gosling and Florida Georgia Line. We were excited because we thought that was the lucky draw for the guests on the show.” Are you also a big Ryan Gosling fan?
“Who isn’t? He’s a little out of my league, but I'm definitely a big fan. We’ll be going to see Nice Guys, and of course I saw him in The Notebook and Crazy Stupid Love. That was definitely one of my favorite roles that he’s played.” Ok, so walk me through what happened, from the moment Gosling pointed at you to the moment you were straddling him on the floor.
"Well I was preselected by producers while waiting in line to go into the studio. I kinda shied away from it. I’m not someone who — that was way out of my comfort zone. Even when they asked for audience participation I didn’t raise my hand, and the producers were looking at me like, Raise your hand! I was as nervous as could be, and when that moment came, I just put my hand out and went with it. Ryan was very gracious. He kind of put me at ease. And the rest is YouTube history." What does he smell like?
"Oh my gosh, so many of my coworkers have asked me the same question. I’m more of a tactile person. All that back rubbing and patting was not scripted at all. I don’t know how he smells but, he felt good." Did you get to talk to him outside that segment?
"I asked them if I could have a picture so they invited me back onto the set during a commercial break and I had my picture taken with Jimmy and Ryan. I'm excited to get that in the mail." What's funny about the clip is that you say to Kimmel "I'm a huge fan," but don't say it to Gosling.
"[Laughs] Well, I was quite nervous in the moment.” How do your daughters feel about this?
"My oldest daughter Dianna actually has a Facebook posting that says, ‘When your mom gets to straddle Ryan Gosling on national television and you have to watch from the couch.' They were pretty jealous, but pretty excited for mom." Are you just never going to wash those jeans again or what?
"[Laughs] I have considered that. I could put them on eBay." If you had the chance to do something like this again, which actor would you choose?
"Ryan! Or maybe me and Jimmy could do it."
“My sister lives in southern California and I was out there visiting her with a girlfriend for my birthday. I’m a big Jimmy Kimmel fan, so we put in for tickets. Of course you don’t know who the guest stars are gonna be. I was just excited to go see Kimmel. So then my sister on Saturday morning had sent me a text that the guests were Ryan Gosling and Florida Georgia Line. We were excited because we thought that was the lucky draw for the guests on the show.” Are you also a big Ryan Gosling fan?
“Who isn’t? He’s a little out of my league, but I'm definitely a big fan. We’ll be going to see Nice Guys, and of course I saw him in The Notebook and Crazy Stupid Love. That was definitely one of my favorite roles that he’s played.” Ok, so walk me through what happened, from the moment Gosling pointed at you to the moment you were straddling him on the floor.
"Well I was preselected by producers while waiting in line to go into the studio. I kinda shied away from it. I’m not someone who — that was way out of my comfort zone. Even when they asked for audience participation I didn’t raise my hand, and the producers were looking at me like, Raise your hand! I was as nervous as could be, and when that moment came, I just put my hand out and went with it. Ryan was very gracious. He kind of put me at ease. And the rest is YouTube history." What does he smell like?
"Oh my gosh, so many of my coworkers have asked me the same question. I’m more of a tactile person. All that back rubbing and patting was not scripted at all. I don’t know how he smells but, he felt good." Did you get to talk to him outside that segment?
"I asked them if I could have a picture so they invited me back onto the set during a commercial break and I had my picture taken with Jimmy and Ryan. I'm excited to get that in the mail." What's funny about the clip is that you say to Kimmel "I'm a huge fan," but don't say it to Gosling.
"[Laughs] Well, I was quite nervous in the moment.” How do your daughters feel about this?
"My oldest daughter Dianna actually has a Facebook posting that says, ‘When your mom gets to straddle Ryan Gosling on national television and you have to watch from the couch.' They were pretty jealous, but pretty excited for mom." Are you just never going to wash those jeans again or what?
"[Laughs] I have considered that. I could put them on eBay." If you had the chance to do something like this again, which actor would you choose?
"Ryan! Or maybe me and Jimmy could do it."