As Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner kicked off the 2026 awards season together, bizarre details in his speech left fans questioning their entire relationship, even sparking wild theories.
The pair attended the 2026 Critics' Choice Awards on Sunday, January 4, reportedly skipping the red carpet altogether, and even arriving at the ceremony an hour late.
Highlights
- Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner’s Critics Choice Awards appearance sparked backlash, with viewers fixating on several “odd” details from the ceremony.
- Chalamet’s speech and body language were widely dissected online, fueling rumors of a “PR relationship” and even claims that Kylie had “bought” his trophy.
- The now-viral moment came just hours after the couple subtly went Instagram official for the first time, further intensifying the speculation.
However, the 30-year-old appeared to subtly profess his love for Kylie during his speech, a moment that left netizens debating whether their romance is merely a “PR stunt” or a “transactional situationship.”
One person commented, “The foundation of a transactional situationship. He’s so thirsty and greedy I now wouldn’t put it past him to marry her. He’s desperate for fame and fortune and she’s desperate to get wife’ed up.”
Timothée Chalamet won the Best Actor award at the 2026 Critics' Choice Awards for his performance in the 2025 sports drama Marty Supreme
Image credits: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Timothée Chalamet brought to life the character of table tennis hustler Marty Reisman in the film Marty Supreme, which is inspired by the 1950s sports world.
His portrayal earned him the top acting honor, the Best Actor trophy, marking Chalamet’s first Critics' Choice Award after four nominations.
Image credits: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
The actor beat out fellow nominees Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael B. Jordan, Ethan Hawke, Joel Edgerton, and Wagner Moura in the category.
During his acceptance speech, he gave a shout-out to his “partner,” Kylie Jenner.
Timothée began his speech by thanking his fellow nominees, his entire team, and the film’s director, Josh Safdie.
Image credits: SpencerAlthouse
Toward the end of his remarks, he added, “And lastly, I'll just say, thank you to my partner of three years.”
“Thank you for our foundation. I love you. I couldn't do this without you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much.”
The Call Me By Your Name star publicly professed his love for the first time for his “partner of three years,” Kylie Jenner, during his acceptance speech
Image credits: SpencerAlthouse
As the camera panned to the reality TV sensation, she was seen mouthing, “I love you, too,” to her man, with a beaming smile on her face.
While the speech may have served as a rare public declaration of Chalamet’s love for his girlfriend, social media erupted as users dissected his wording, with some even pointing to his overall body language and expressions.
Image credits: SpencerAlthouse
Some speculated that Timothée was undeserving of the award and claimed he only won because Kylie had allegedly “bought” it for him.
One person commented, “He mentioned, , thank you for mommy dearest having bought this for me,” while another wrote, “I couldn’t afford this without you.”
Image credits: tchalamet
Others pointed out that the Dune alum did not mention The Kardashians star by name during his speech, something many found “odd.”
One netizen theorized that his acknowledgment of Jenner felt “forced,” writing on Reddit, “He didn't say her name and it seems like he forced himself to say it because you can hear it in his voice.”
Timothée’s word choice and expressions sparked a wave of wild online theories, with fans labeling the couple’s romance a “transactional situationship”
Others in agreement echoed, “Kris is actually behind the camera with a g*n in one hand and a cue card in the other.”
Another remarked, “I know she wanted to hear her name so bad and was devastated when he just said partner lol.”
As Timothée’s name was announced as the winner, the couple even shared a brief moment of PDA, with the actor leaning over to kiss Jenner before heading to the stage to accept his award.
However, even the affectionate moment failed to impress eagle-eyed netizens, who zeroed in on the reactions of those nearby, many of whom appeared “shocked” in images from the moment.
Image credits: Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty Images
One Reddit user wrote, “Did anyone else notice the shocked faces in the background?? I know we at home are shocked he gave her kiss (which I’m sure is a PR stunt) but I find it interesting that celebrities that are in the same room as them during these award shows are shocked.”
Chalamet and Jenner’s latest joint appearance came just hours after they subtly went Instagram official for the first time
Image credits: tchalamet
“It just confirms to me more that they’re a PR couple because it seems like they aren’t even affectionate without the public eye.”
Chalamet’s public declaration of love and gratitude for Kylie at the awards ceremony came shortly after the couple appeared to take a significant step in their relationship.
Image credits: tchalamet
On Saturday, January 3, Kylie supported her boyfriend at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, where he was honored for his performance in Marty Supreme.
On the morning of the Critics' Choice Awards, Jenner shared photos of herself in a shimmery orange custom Ludovic de Saint Sernin gown, the same look she wore to the Palm Springs event the night before.
Image credits: People
For the first time in the couple’s nearly three-year relationship, Chalamet liked Kylie’s post and replied with a string of 13 orange heart emojis.
Many fans interpreted the interaction as the pair going Instagram official and publicly acknowledging their relationship on social media for the first time.
“He’s smart, he doesn’t say her name, so if they break up there’s no embarrassing record…” one suspicious social media user wrote
