HOLLYWOOD actor Timothée Chalamet missed out on Oscars glory — and had to endure a string of jibes during the ceremony.
The Marty Supreme star was the butt of jokes having angered the arts world by stating nobody cared about ballet and opera.
And his comments came back to haunt him as Academy Awards host Conan O’Brien said: “Security is very tight tonight. There’s concerns about attacks from the ballet and opera communities.”
He waded in again later, saying to Timothée: “We’re vibing, right?”
He then told viewers: “He doesn’t think so.”
Alexandre Singh, who won Best Live Action Short Film for Two People Exchanging Saliva, also took a pop during his speech and said: “We believe art can change people’s souls.
“Maybe it takes ten years, but we can change society through art, through creativity, through theatre and ballet — and cinema.”
Timothée, 30, also had to sit through a musical number from movie Sinners, with ballerina Misty Copeland — who had also criticised the star for his cultural views — dancing during the song.
Timothée was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar but lost to Sinners star Michael B. Jordan.
The backlash was sparked by his comment: “I don’t want to be working in ballet, or opera, or things where it’s like, ‘Hey, keep this thing alive, even though no one cares about this any more.”
He quickly added, “All respect to the ballet and opera people out there”, but the damage was done.
His remarks were widely rebuked, with Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli mocking the star by publicly inviting him to one of his opera performances.
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.
Onlookers told The Sun Timothée and girlfriend Kylie Jenner, 28, walked out of the ceremony for an hour amid the drubbing.
They said: “Timothee and Kylie were replaced by seat fillers for an hour.
“It seems like he had enough of being the butt of the jokes.
“They only came back just before the Best Actress and Best Actor categories were announced.”
Timothée was seen leaving the Vanity Fair after-party in the early hours of yesterday morning with Kylie, who is part of the Kardashian reality TV family.
Kylie’s ex-partner, rapper Travis Scott, the father of her two children Stormi, eight, and Aire, four, also later appeared to mock Timothee’s defeat by sharing a photograph of Michael wiping away tears as he accepted his award.
Timothée attempted to shrug off the loss at the Vanity Fair do, where he was also joined by Kylie’s sister, Kendall, and half-sister, Kim Kardashian.
Timothée and Kylie, who have dated since 2023, had been sipping champagne with stars including Rolling Stones singer Sir Mick Jagger, Australian actress Nicole Kidman and British-born star Naomi Watts.
An onlooker at the party said: “Timothée was swarmed by well-wishers as he arrived.
“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.
“Kylie and him stayed for a while but then left together without being seen.
“It was the Irish exit he wanted — and needed.”
Who won on Hollywood’s biggest night?
One Battle After Another ran away with the night with six Oscars, while Sinners, which was nominated for a record-breaking 16 awards, came away with four. See the full winners list below:
Best Picture: One Battle After Another
Best Actress: Jessie Buckley, Hamnet
Best Actor: Michael B. Jordan, Sinners
Supporting Actress: Amy Madigan, Weapons
Supporting Actor: Sean Penn, One Battle After Another
Directing: One Battle After Another, Paul Thomas Anderson
Adapted Screenplay: One Battle After Another, Paul Thomas Anderson
Original Screenplay: Sinners, Ryan Coogler
Documentary Feature: Mr. Nobody Against Putin
Documentary Short: All the Empty Rooms
Animated Feature: KPop Demon Hunters
Animated Short: The Girl Who Cried Pearls
Cinematography: Sinners, Autumn Durald Arkapaw
Costume Design: Frankenstein, Kate Hawley
Film Editing: One Battle After Another, Andy Jurgensen
International Feature: Sentimental Value – Norway
Life Action Short:
The Singers (TIED)
Two People Exchanging Saliva (TIED)
Makeup and Hairstyling: Frankenstein, Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel and Cliona Furey
Original Score: Sinners, Ludwig Goransson
Original Song: Golden, KPop Demon Hunters
Production Design: Frankenstein, Tamara Deverell and Shane Vieau
Sound: F1, Gareth John, Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo and Juan Peralta
Visual Effects: Avatar: Fire and Ash, Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett
Casting: One Battle After Another, Cassandra Kulukundis