The scandal with Timothée Chalamet: his words about ballet and opera sparked outrage
10 march 2026 в 19:13
Timothée Chalamet has sparked outrage in the ballet and opera community with his ambiguous comment. The reaction was so strong that his chances for an Oscar decreased just days before the 2026 ceremony, for which he is nominated for his lead role in the film «Martin Suprim». Some people are still trying to make sense of the situation, so what exactly did Timothée say?
Here’s what he said that triggered such widespread criticism.
Timothée met with actor Matthew McConaughey at a Town Hall event organized by CNN and Variety in late February 2026, where they discussed the state of the film industry and Timothée's motivation within it.
«And another part of me thinks that if people are interested, like with 'Barbie' or 'Oppenheimer,' they will go see it and be proud of it», - began the star of «A Complete Stranger». «And I don’t want to work in ballet or opera where they say, 'Hey, let’s preserve this art, even if no one is interested anymore.'»
Immediately after that, Timothée added, «All due respect to the people in ballet and opera. I just lost 14 cents in views… Damn, I just made a fool of myself for no reason».
The entire ballet and opera community took to social media to express their dissatisfaction with Timothée's comment. Among the most notable reactions was a post from the Metropolitan Opera, which shared a behind-the-scenes video related to stage productions on Instagram. The clip was captioned: «This is for you, @tchalamet».
Many celebrities also joined in criticizing the «Wonka» star, including Doja Cat. She posted a video on TikTok, which was later deleted, to share her reaction.
«Opera has existed for 400 years. Ballet has been around for 500 years», - Doja said. «Some Timothée Chalamet, by the way, a big guy, dared to say on camera that no one is interested in it. I’m sure you could walk into an opera house right now, and the seats would be filled, and no one would say a word during the performance because everyone respects this art. There is etiquette in opera. There is etiquette in ballet. It’s amazing. It’s an incredible theatrical form. It’s freaking beautiful».
The women from «The View» also weighed in on the matter, with host Whoopi Goldberg noting that Timothée's mother and sister have experience in dance.
«You come from a dance family, so when you criticize someone else’s art form, it’s not pleasant», - Whoopi said. «You probably didn’t realize that until you said, 'Oh, I’m in trouble,' but then you made it worse by saying, '14 cents.' No, when people are angry, it will be much more than 14 cents, so be careful. I’m just saying. Be careful, guy… To me, he’s a guy. Actually, don’t apologize when you’ve offended. That sounds wrong. You can’t say, 'Oh, that’s silly, no offense.' That’s absolute disrespect»
Here’s what he said that triggered such widespread criticism.
Timothée met with actor Matthew McConaughey at a Town Hall event organized by CNN and Variety in late February 2026, where they discussed the state of the film industry and Timothée's motivation within it.
«And another part of me thinks that if people are interested, like with 'Barbie' or 'Oppenheimer,' they will go see it and be proud of it», - began the star of «A Complete Stranger». «And I don’t want to work in ballet or opera where they say, 'Hey, let’s preserve this art, even if no one is interested anymore.'»
Immediately after that, Timothée added, «All due respect to the people in ballet and opera. I just lost 14 cents in views… Damn, I just made a fool of myself for no reason».
The entire ballet and opera community took to social media to express their dissatisfaction with Timothée's comment. Among the most notable reactions was a post from the Metropolitan Opera, which shared a behind-the-scenes video related to stage productions on Instagram. The clip was captioned: «This is for you, @tchalamet».
Many celebrities also joined in criticizing the «Wonka» star, including Doja Cat. She posted a video on TikTok, which was later deleted, to share her reaction.
«Opera has existed for 400 years. Ballet has been around for 500 years», - Doja said. «Some Timothée Chalamet, by the way, a big guy, dared to say on camera that no one is interested in it. I’m sure you could walk into an opera house right now, and the seats would be filled, and no one would say a word during the performance because everyone respects this art. There is etiquette in opera. There is etiquette in ballet. It’s amazing. It’s an incredible theatrical form. It’s freaking beautiful».
The women from «The View» also weighed in on the matter, with host Whoopi Goldberg noting that Timothée's mother and sister have experience in dance.
«You come from a dance family, so when you criticize someone else’s art form, it’s not pleasant», - Whoopi said. «You probably didn’t realize that until you said, 'Oh, I’m in trouble,' but then you made it worse by saying, '14 cents.' No, when people are angry, it will be much more than 14 cents, so be careful. I’m just saying. Be careful, guy… To me, he’s a guy. Actually, don’t apologize when you’ve offended. That sounds wrong. You can’t say, 'Oh, that’s silly, no offense.' That’s absolute disrespect»
© Smirnova Olga
