The “Marty Supreme” star has come under fire for remarks he made about opera and ballet, drawing harsh criticism from Whoopi Goldberg, Nathan Lane, Doja Cat, and more.

Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner react to Conan O’Brien’s opera controversy joke at Oscars

The "Marty Supreme" star has come under fire for remarks he made about opera and ballet, drawing harsh criticism from Whoopi Goldberg, Nathan Lane, Doja Cat, and more.

Joey Nolfi

Joey Nolfi is a senior writer at *. *Since 2016, his work at EW includes RuPaul’s Drag Race video interviews, Oscars predictions, and more.

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March 15, 2026 7:30 p.m. ET

Timothee Chalamet at the 2026 Oscars. Credit:

Kevin Mazur/Getty

After weeks of public pushback to controversial comments he made about performing arts like ballet and opera, Oscar-nominated actor Timothée Chalamet reacted to host Conan O'Brien's jokes about the ordeal in the opening moments of Sunday night's 98th Academy Awards.

The *Marty Supreme* star attended the event on behalf of the Best Picture-nominated film, for which his performance received a nod for Best Actor. O'Brien wasted no time roasting Chalamet during his monologue, jabbing the superstar within minutes.

"Security is extremely tight tonight. Just gotta mention that," O'Brien said at the top of the show, initially appearing to reference reports that safety measures were increased due to the FBI warning of a potential "surprise attack" from Iran. However, O'Brien finished by joking, "I'm told there's concerns about attacks from both the opera and ballet communities."

Timothee Chalamet attends the 98th Academy Awards.

The camera then cut to Chalamet and partner Kylie Jenner in the audience, with both laughing as they watched O'Brien in the moment. The comedian made one more quip before moving on, looking at Chalamet as he said, "They're just mad you left out jazz!"

Controversy sparked earlier this month after the release of a taped *Variety* and CNN town hall discussion between Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey and the *Dune* actor, who dismissed the popularity of opera and ballet.

"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 it's like, no one cares about this anymore," Chalamet said as the crowd (and McConaughey) laughed. "All respect to the ballet and opera people out there," he continued, quipping, "I just lost 14 cents in viewership. I just took shots for no reason."

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The actor's grandmother, mother, and sister were all members of the New York City Ballet — something *The View** *cohosts pointed out as they joined a growing chorus of critics who spoke out against Chalamet's remarks in the days that followed.

"You come from a dance family, so when you crap on somebody else's art form, it doesn't feel good," EGOT-winning *Ghost* and *Color Purple* actress Whoopi Goldberg said on the show. "You probably didn't realize, until you said, 'Oh, I'm in trouble,' but then you compounded it and said, '14 cents.' No, when people get mad, it'll be a lot more than 14 cents, so be careful. I'm just saying. Be careful, boy."

Amid other criticism from the likes of legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg, rapper Doja Cat, ballerina Misty Copeland, and even the Metropolitan Opera, actor Nathan Lane derided Chalamet's observations during another appearance on* The View*, where he speculated that "people will be going to see *Swan Lake* and *La Traviata* long after someone at a dinner party says, 'Who was Timothée Chalamet?' It's the show business circle of life."

Timothée Chalamet in 'Marty Supreme'.

On the Oscars front, amid revealing his votes for this year's Academy Awards, one actor — who spoke with * *on condition of anonymity — also slammed Chalamet. "F--- that guy," the actor said, bluntly.

"It's so trashy. Punching down on artists who make a fraction of what he makes, yet have spent 10 to 20 years honing their craft? I'm sorry, you know, this guy is not Philip Seymour Hoffman. And Philip Seymour Hoffman would certainly never punch down on opera or ballet dancers," the actor continued. "That's an entitled dude. I'm sorry. I lost a lot of respect for him."

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