Timothée Chalamet He angered the ballet and opera communities with one upside-down comment. The backlash became so severe that Oscar buzz died down days before the 2026 Academy Awards, for which he was nominated for Actor in a Leading Role for his performance in Marty Supreme. Some people are still following the debate, so what exactly did Timothy say?
Here’s what Timmy actually said that led to widespread criticism.
What did Timothée Chalamet say about ballet and opera?
Timothy sat with his fellow actor Matthew McConaughey During a CNN & Variety Town Hall event in late February 2026, he discussed the state of the film industry and Timothy’s motivations in it.
“And another part of me is like, if people want to see it, let them do it BarbieHe loves OppenheimerThey will go see him and do their best to be loud and proud of him Completely anonymous The star began. “And I don’t want to do ballet or opera or things like, hey, keep this thing alive, even though no one cares about that anymore.”
Immediately after dropping that bomb, Timmy quickly added, “All respect to the ballet and opera people over there. I just lost 14 cents in viewership. …Damn, I took pictures for no reason.”
What did ballet and opera artists say against Timothée Chalamet?
The entire ballet and opera communities took to social media to express their frustration with Timothy’s comment. Among the most prominent names was the Metropolitan Opera Company, which shared a video on Instagram about the behind-the-scenes work that goes into crafting a theatrical production. The clip was captioned: “This one’s for you, Chalamet.”
Which celebrities responded to Timothée Chalamet’s ballet and opera joke?
Quite a few celebrities have joined the backlash against Wonka Star, incl Doja Cat. She took to TikTok in a since-deleted video to share her reaction.
“Opera is 400 years old, ballet is 500 years old,” Duja said. “By the way, a guy called Timothée Chalamet, a big guy, had the audacity to say on camera that no one cares about it. I’m sure you could walk into an opera theater now, and the seats would be filled, and no one would say a word during the performance because everyone has so much respect for it. There’s an etiquette about opera. There’s an etiquette about ballet. It’s amazing. It’s an amazing theatrical medium. It’s very beautiful.”
Women on The view Also chime in on the situation with your co-host Whoopi Goldberg Noting that Timmy’s mother and sister have a background in dancing.
“You come from a dance family, so when you insult someone else’s art form, it doesn’t feel good,” Whoopi said. “You probably didn’t realize it, until you said, ‘Oh, I’m in trouble,’ but then I doubled down and said, ’14 cents.’ No, when people get angry, it’s going to be a lot more than 14 cents, so be careful. I’m just saying. Be careful, kid. … It’s a boy to me. Really, don’t apologize when I insult you. It doesn’t seem right. You can’t say, ‘Oh, that’s stupid, no disrespect.’ That’s absolute disrespect.”
