By Tasnim Oyshi
Staff Writer
Timothée Chalamet spoke with former “Interstellar” co-star, Matthew McConaughey, on “A CNN & Variety Town Hall Event” at The University of Texas on Feb. 21. A part of the hour-long segment has since gone viral, in which Chalamet spoke about ballet and opera as dying forms of art.
“I don't want to be working in ballet, or opera, or, you know, things where it's like, ‘Hey, keep this thing alive, even though, like, no one cares about this anymore,’” he said. “All respect to all the ballet and opera people out there. I just lost 14 cents in viewership. I just took shots for no reason.”
This has sparked shock and anger in both communities, their fans and the internet. Multiple comments on the video on Variety’s YouTube channel have been criticizing Chalamet. Some questioned whether it was a persona he was putting on to promote “Marty Supreme” as the main character is known to be inconsiderate.
Many have also pointed out that Chalamet’s sister, mother and grandmother have all studied ballet. In addition to various TikTok creators making videos against Chalamet’s claims, celebrities like Charlie Puth, Jamie Lee Curtis and Whoopi Goldberg have spoken up in defense of ballet and opera.
“When you crap on somebody else's art form, it doesn't feel good. It doesn't feel good to see,” Goldberg said on “The View,” warning him to be careful of what he says as he will lose more than 14 cents in viewership if he angers people.
According to CBS News, the Seattle Opera also gave a 14% discount on select seats to their consumers if they used the code, “Timothee,” on March 7-8.
On March 5, the Metropolitan Opera posted a TikTok of behind-the-scenes clips from rehearsals with the words, “All respect to the opera (and ballet) people out there” on screen. The caption states, “This one’s for you, Timothée Chalamet… ?”
According to People, ballerina Misty Copeland, who Chalamet invited to help promote Marty Supreme by wearing the viral “Marty Supreme” jacket, addressed his statement during a panel in New York City on March 8.
“I mean, he wouldn't be an actor and have the opportunities he has as a movie star if it weren't for opera and ballet in their relevance in that medium,” she said. “So all of these mediums have a space and we shouldn't be comparing them.”
On March 10, it was reported that Copeland would be performing at the Oscars during Miles Caton and Raphael Saadiq’s performance of “I Lied To You” for “Sinners,” according to Cosmopolitan. On March 15, host Conan O’Brien made a joke about the controversy.
“Security is very tight tonight,” he said. “There’s concerns about attacks from the ballet and opera communities. They’re just mad you left out jazz.”
The camera showed Chalamet laughing, and later, he gave a standing ovation after the “Sinners” performance.
Chalamet has expressed this opinion on ballet and opera in the past. On a resurfaced TikTok from 2019 during his press run for “The King,” he called the two “dying art form[s].”
Since the release of “Marty Supreme” on Dec. 25, 2025, Chalamet had been campaigning for the 2026 award season with creative marketing tactics. This included releasing a song with British rapper EsDeeKid, who was rumored to be involved, selling jackets and sports balls with the film’s title and the quote, “Dream Big,” and even projecting the movie’s signature orange ping pong ball on the Las Vegas Sphere.
Despite his efforts, on Oscars night, Chalamet lost the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role to Michael B. Jordan, who played twins Smoke and Stack in “Sinners.”
