Timothée Chalamet found himself on the wrong end of several jokes at the 2026 Oscars, thanks to his controversial comment about opera and ballet days prior.
Chalamet, who attended the event with his girlfriend Kylie Jenner, allegedly left his seat for a while amid the mockery, according to an onlooker.
The Dune actor’s misfortune did not end there, as he lost the Best Actor in a Leading Role award to Michael B. Jordan.
Highlights
- Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner allegedly walked out of the Oscars amid multiple jokes aimed at the actor.
- Oscar host Conan O’Brien made fun of Chalamet’s recent viral comments about opera and ballet.
- O’Brien faced online criticism for public “humiliation” of Chalamet at the event.
“He wasn't convincing as a guy who can take a joke or a gracious l*ser in his category,” one user said about Chalamet’s expressions.
Conan O'Brien's jokes allegedly made Timothée Chalamet walk out of the Oscars
Image credits: Karwai Tang/Getty Images
Timothée Chalamet was nominated at this year’s Oscars for his titular role of Marty Mauser in Josh Safdie’s sports drama Marty Supreme. Earlier in the award season, he bagged the Golden Globe and the Critics’ Choice Award, but Jordan took home the golden statuette for Sinners.
Days before the Academy Awards ceremony, Chalamet came under fire for calling opera and ballet “dy*ng art forms” that he wouldn’t want to work in. He also argued “no one cares” about them.
“All respect to the ballet and opera people out there,” he added, but the damage was done.
Image credits: Variety
Chalamet’s comments made him the subject of a few jokes by the Oscar host, Conan O’Brien.
“Security is very tight tonight,” O’Brien said during his opening monologue. “There are concerns about attacks from the ballet and opera communities.”
“They’re just mad you left out jazz,” the 62-year-old comedian quipped.
Image credits: Rich Polk/Penske Media/Getty Images
Later in the ceremony, O’Brien introduced a musician as the “Timothée Chalamet b*m drum,” who played a beat with ping-pong paddles on a prop shaped like a backside. This also referenced a scene from Marty Supreme, in which Chalamet’s character is bullied in a similar manner.
Chalamet and Jenner left the ceremony for an hour amid the bashing, according to sources
Image credits: ABC News
“Timothée and Kylie were replaced by seat fillers for an hour,” a witness told The Sun. “It seems like he had enough of being the b*tt of the jokes.
“They only came back just before the Best Actress and Best Actor categories were announced,” the source added.
Image credits: Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Another eyewitness saw Chalamet and Jenner at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party, where they were joined by Kylie’s sister, Kendall Jenner, and half-sister, Kim Kardashian. The couple was seen enjoying champagne with A-listers like Nicole Kidman, Naomi Watts, and Sir Mick Jagger.
“Timothée was swarmed by well-wishers as he arrived,” the second source told The Sun. “He kept his sunglasses on for most of the night and tried to be low-key, but he stood out like a sore thumb in his white suit.”
Chalamet and Kylie seemingly left the afterparty without much fanfare.
“He and Kylie stayed for a while, but then left together without being seen,” the source added. “It was the Irish exit he wanted — and needed.”
Oscar host Conan O’Brien faced backlash for his jokes about Timothée Chalamet
Image credits: Gilbert Flores/Penske Media/Getty Images
“The joke writers need their pay revoked,” one person said. “That was a rough monologue.”
“The whole b*m drum thing seemed like a half-baked ritual,” another mirrored. A third wrote, “The b*m drum was not funny, why would they do that?”
A fourth wrote, “The b*m drum. It's starting to look like a humiliation ritual.”
Image credits: ABC News
Alexandre Singh, who won Best Live Action Short Film for Two People Exchanging Saliva, said: “Maybe it takes ten years, but we can change society through art, through creativity, through theatre and ballet — and cinema.”
Ballet legend Misty Copeland returned to the stage mere weeks after undergoing total hip replacement surgery to perform to I Lied to You, an original number from Sinners.
Image credits: ABC News
Several users thought that the timing of Copeland’s decision was intentional, especially after she called Chalamet out after his comments.
“[Chalamet] wouldn’t be an actor and have the opportunities he has as a movie star if it weren’t for opera and ballet and their relevance in that medium,” Copeland said, according to Variety.
She was invited by the Marty Supreme team to be a part of the movie’s promotion.
