OSCARS host Conan O’Brien has taken a dig at Timothee Chalamet in his opening speech after the actor’s controversial comments about the arts.
The Marty Supreme star found himself facing serious backlash after claiming “no one cares” about opera or ballet.
Conan, 62, kicked off the Oscars with a dig at Timothee, 30, as he smiled and laughed next to girlfriend Kylie Jenner, who arrived at the show dressed to the nines in a slinky red gown.
He joked about heightened security amid ongoing uncertainty in the world, pointing to an unexpected source of tension.
The former late night TV host quipped: “Security is extremely tight tonight…I’m told theres concerns about attacks from both the opera and ballet communities.”
He looked down at Timothee, who was giggling slightly.
Kylie, 28, shifted slightly in her seat, smiling although she looked slightly uncomfortable.
Conan then added: “They are just mad you left out jazz!”
Later in the show, the Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend host circled back with Timothee, seemingly trying to smooth things over.
“I’m vibing with Timothee right now, we’re vibing, right?!” he asked, looking down at the Willy Wonka actor.
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The camera did not pan to the star, but it doesn’t seem like he was feeling the same vibe.
Conan added: “He doesn’t think so, alright!”
At this point, Timothee must be somewhat used to the blowback.
He’s been taking heat for his comment for days now.
The Oscar-nominee was chatting with Matthew McConaughey at the University of Texas about efforts to preserve cinema back in February.
“I don’t want to be working in ballet, or opera, or 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,” he added.
Since then, he’s taken heat from ballet and opera stars, as well as other big figures in Hollywood.
Steven Spielberg, for example, disagreed vehemently.
According to Page Six, he said of the arts during a 2026 SXSW panel: “At the end of a really good movie experience, we are all united with a whole bunch of feelings that we walks into the daylight with, or into the nighttime with.
Biggest Oscar Nominees of 2026 Academy Awards
Everyone in Hollywood hopes to snag a nod on the industry’s biggest night but only few get that honor. Here are the nominees from the major categories of the 2026 Academy Awards:
Best Picture
- Bugonia
- F1
- Frankenstein
- Hamnet
- Marty Supreme
- One Battle After Another
- The Secret Agent
- Sentimental Value
- Sinners
- Train Dreams
Best Director
- Chloé Zhao — Hamnet
- Josh Safdie — Marty Supreme
- Paul Thomas Anderson — One Battle After Another
- Joachim Trier — Sentimental Value
- Ryan Coogler — Sinners
Best Actor (Leading Role)
- Timothée Chalamet — Marty Supreme
- Leonardo DiCaprio — One Battle After Another
- Ethan Hawke — Blue Moon
- Michael B. Jordan — Sinners
- Wagner Moura — The Secret Agent
Best Actress (Leading Role)
- Jessie Buckley — Hamnet
- Rose Byrne — If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
- Renate Reinsve — Sentimental Value
- Emma Stone — Bugonia
- Kate Hudson — Song Sung Blue
Best Supporting Actor
- Benicio Del Toro — One Battle After Another
- Jacob Elordi — Frankenstein
- Delroy Lindo — Sinners
- Sean Penn — One Battle After Another
- Stellan Skarsgård — Sentimental Value
Best Supporting Actress
- Teyana Taylor — One Battle After Another
- Wunmi Mosaku — Sinners
- Amy Madigan — Weapons
- Elle Fanning — Sentimental Value
- Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas — Sentimental Value
Best Original Screenplay
- Bugonia — Yorgos Lanthimos & Will Tracy
- Marty Supreme — Josh Safdie & Ronald Bronstein
- One Battle After Another — Paul Thomas Anderson
- Sentimental Value — Joachim Trier & Eskil Vogt
- Sinners — Ryan Coogler
Best Adapted Screenplay
- Blue Moon — Richard Linklater & Glen Powell
- Frankenstein — Guillermo del Toro
- Hamnet — Chloé Zhao
- The Secret Agent — Kleber Mendonça Filho
- Train Dreams — Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar
Best Animated Feature
- Arco
- KPop Demon Hunters
- The Magnificent Life of Marcel Pagnol
- Zootopia 2
- The Night Gardener
Best International Feature Film
- The Secret Agent — Brazil
- Sentimental Value — Norway
- It Was Just an Accident — Iran
- Universal Language — Canada
- Sujo — Mexico
Best Documentary Feature
- The Alabama Solution
- Come See Me in the Good Light
- Four Daughters
- No Other Land
- The Perfect Neighbor
“And there’s nothing like that. It happens in movies, and in concerts. And it happens in ballet and opera, by the way.”
Timothee is nominated for two Oscars during the 2026 awards show.
He’s up for Best Actor for his role in Marty Supreme and Best Picture.
He will be up against Michael B. Jordan in Sinners; Leonardo DeCaprio in One Battle After Another; Wagner Moura in The Secret Agent; and Ethan Hawke in Blue Moon in the Best Actor category.
In Best Picture, Timothee is up against The Secret Agent, Bugonia, Train Dreams, F1, and Sinners.