TIMOTHÉE Chalamet’s painful Oscars experience was made worse by love rival Travis Scott cheering for Michael B. Jordan, a source close to the star told The U.S. Sun.
Chalamet endured a brutal Academy Awards, from being roasted by host Conan O’Brien to missing out on a career-defining award.
O’Brien targeted the Willy Wonka actor over his scathing remarks about opera and ballet, which had sparked global criticism and threatens to end his partnership with Cartier.
Chalamet said last month in a CNN town hall with Matthew McConaughey that “no one cares” about either artform, with one Academy insider labelling him as “arrogant.”
The night, however, reportedly worsened when controversial rapper Scott — girlfriend Kylie Jenner’s ex and father of her two children — openly supported Jordan, who beat Chalamet in the Best Actor category.
The insider said the 30-year-old was “shaken” after Marty Supreme failed to win any of its nine nominations.
While he was happy for Jordan, who impressed judges with his dual role in Sinners, Chalamet struggled to hide his disappointment, and his tension with Scott reportedly hit an “all-time low.”
“Travis’s support for Michael B. Jordan was seen as a direct snub, and it’s clear he has little respect for Timothée’s talent,” the source said. “While he isn’t confrontational, their relationship has grown colder than ever.”
Chalamet was, according to the insider, withdrawn throughout the evening, leaving the after-party earlier than usual.
Another source also told The U.S. Sun that the couple even walked out of the Oscars ceremony for an hour, leaving seat fillers in their spot.
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People close to him said he leaned heavily on Jenner for comfort, appearing so reliant that she sometimes seemed overwhelmed.
It has been a dispiriting awards season for Chalamet.
Last month at the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards in London, he was nominated for Best Actor for Marty Supreme but lost to Robert Aramayo for his performance in I Swear.
Marty Supreme, which tells the true story of a table tennis player in the 1940s, went home empty-handed despite nine nominations.
Sources said Chalamet left the BAFTA ceremony visibly deflated, struggling to enjoy himself despite efforts from Jenner and his friends.
“Going home with nothing in London deeply bruised his ego, though he will certainly learn from the experiences of the last few months.
“He never truly settled into the vibe of the ceremony; his mood was tense and stressed, and he struggled to enjoy himself.”
It wasn’t just host O’Brien laughing at him, either.
Another roast came from Alexandre Singh, who accepted the award for Best Short Film (a tie between The Singers and Two People Exchanging Saliva) and addressed Chalamet’s ballet comments.
“Maybe it takes ten years’ time, but we can change people’s lives through art, through creativity — through theatre and ballet — and also cinema,” Singh said after collecting his award.
The insider said the energy throughout the night was tense, with Jenner’s behavior described as almost maternal.
“The atmosphere was strange for everyone involved. Kylie has become his primary safe space, to the point where those around him feel she is essentially babysitting him.
What did Timothee Chalamet say about ballet and opera? Oscars controversy explained
Timothée Chalamet has sparked a heated cultural debate following comments made at a CNN and Variety Town Hall on February 21, 2026.
Speaking alongside Matthew McConaughey about needing “draws” to pull in an audience to his movies, Chalamet made harsh comments about industries he claimed feel forced to stay afloat.
“I don’t want to be working in ballet or opera… where it’s like, ‘Hey, keep this thing alive, even though no one cares about this anymore,’” he said.
The remarks mirror sentiments Chalamet expressed as early as 2019 during a promotional event for The King, where he labeled the disciplines “dying art forms.”
The Royal Ballet and Opera issued a formal rebuttal, emphasizing that these art forms do not exist in isolation but rather “inform, inspire, and elevate” the broader cultural landscape, including the film industry itself.
“It is a bizarre dynamic; while she seems to embrace her influence over him, it often feels like she is acting as a maternal figure rather than a partner, which many find frustrating to witness.”
Sources said the Oscars provided Chalamet a reality check when he faced fellow nominees Jordan and Brazilian actor Wagner Moura.
Friends have advised him to adopt a more mature public persona, projecting confidence rather than appearing like a “young boy with a high school girlfriend.”
“The gap in maturity was obvious,” the insider said. “He’s been told multiple times he needs to project more maturity to be taken seriously as a leading man.”
Chalamet now plans to put the disappointment behind him by going on vacation, attending some NBA games, and “reconnecting with himself” before returning to work.