Timothée Chalamet has given fans a lot to talk about over the years. From his critically acclaimed films like Call Me By Your Name and Beautiful Boy to his meme-worthy press tour moments and high-profile appearances with his girlfriend, Kylie Jenner, Chalamet has been everywhere in recent years. However, the actor is now facing major backlash after making a controversial comment about — of all things — opera and ballet.
Employed and have no idea what I’m talking about? Don’t worry, bestie — I got you. On Feb. 21, Chalamet sat down in a chat with Matthew McConaughey (produced by CNN and Variety) as part of the press tour for his latest film, Marty Supreme. Chalamet was discussing the need to keep film and movie theaters alive and explained that part of him feels like people will go out of their way to see films if they want to, and will openly be “loud and proud” about it — and drew a comparison to other art forms that immediately went viral.
“I don’t wanna be working in ballet or opera, you know, things where it’s like, ‘Keep this thing alive’ even though it’s like, no one cares about this anymore,” Chalamet said. He must have immediately known he put his foot in his mouth with that comment, because he followed it up by saying, “All respect to the ballet and opera people out there — I just lost 14 cents in viewership. I just took shots for no reason.” And he was right; the internet is not happy with Chalamet.
Chalamet reportedly lost over a million followers on Instagram after this interview aired, but that’s not the only way patrons of the arts are expressing their displeasure with him. After his comment, ballet and opera companies have not been shy, and let’s just say, these social media teams are working overtime to clap back at the actor.
On March 6, The Royal Opera House’s social media page posted a Reel of ballet and opera performers with the audio of Chalamet’s direct quote on top, writing “Every night at the Royal Opera House, thousands of people gather for ballet and opera. For the music. For the storytelling. For the sheer magic of live performance. If you’d like to reconsider, @tchalamet, our doors are open.”
The Seattle Opera also responded to Chalamet’s comments, offering 14% off on select seats for Carmen with the promo code “Timothee,” — directly referring to Chalamet’s comments about losing “14 cents in viewership.”
The Metropolitan Opera posted a Reel of the opera’s intense setup process, writing “All respect to the opera (and ballet) people out there,” on the post — calling out Chalamet’s exact words. And if that wasn’t clear enough, the caption read, “This one’s for you, @tchalamet… 👀.”
The Los Angeles Opera posted a photo, captioned, “Sorry, @tchalamet. We’d offer you complimentary seats to Akhnaten, but it’s selling out. There are a few seats left to purchase if you hurry.”
The English National Ballet also dedicated a post to Chalamet, clapping back at his comments in an Instagram slideshow insisting that ballet is “not only alive and well, but thriving.”
Individual artists are weighing in as well. Megan Fairchild, a New York City Ballet dancer, took to Instagram to post a Reel about the controversy. “Timmy, I didn’t realize you were a world-class dancer or opera singer who simply chose not to pursue it because acting is more popular!” she said. “Ballet and opera aren’t niche hobbies people opt out of for fame — they’re disciplines you can only enter if you have the rare ability for them in the first place.” In her caption, Fairchild was a bit more merciful, writing, “We forgive you, @tchalamet. We know you love @nycballet — we’ve seen the hat,” referring to a photo of Chalamet wearing a New York City Ballet hat. “And your lovely sister watches our rehearsals. Good luck in the Oscar race. Artists supporting artists matters. None of these paths are easy, and there’s no need to put ballet or opera down along the way. 😉”
Opera singer Isabel Leonard called out Chalamet in an Instagram comment as well. “Honestly, I’m shocked that someone so seemingly successful can be so ineloquent and narrow minded in his views about art while considering himself an artist as I would only imagine one would as an actor,” Leonard wrote. “To take cheap shots as fellow artists says more about this interview than anything else he could say. Shows a lot about his character. You don’t have to like all art but only a weak person/artist feels the need to diminish in fact the VERY arts that would inspire those who are interested in slowing down, to do exactly that.”
And if you thought it was just opera performers and ballerinas speaking out about this, you’d be wrong. Doja Cat seemingly posted a now-deleted TikTok calling out Chalamet for his comments. “Somebody named ‘Timothée Chalamet’ had the nerve … to say on camera that nobody cares about it,” she said in part, purposely butchering the pronunciation of his name. “I’m sure you can walk into an opera theater right now; seats will be filled out and nobody is saying a word as the performance is going on because everybody has that much respect for it.” According to the BBC, Jamie Lee Curtis asked in an Instagram Story, “Why are any artists taking shots at any other artists?” Additionally, American ballet choreographer Kam Saunders, known for his dancing on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, commented “Yikes” on a post about Chalamet’s comments.
As of March 9, Chalamet has yet to respond publicly to the backlash over his comments — but considering the Oscars are coming up on March 15, it’s very likely he’ll be asked about it in the coming days.