Host Conan O'Brien didn't hold back when taking aim at the Oscar nominee during his opening monologue
Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty (2)
NEED TO KNOW
- Oscars host Conan O’Brien had a piece of advice for Timothée Chalamet at the 2026 Oscars
- The comedian poked fun at Chalamet’s controversial statement that “no one cares” about the ballet and opera
- Chalamet is nominated as a producer and star of the film Marty Supreme at this year’s award show
Conan O'Brien had a piece of advice for Timothée Chalamet at the 2026 Oscars after the nominee's controversial claim that "no one cares" about the ballet or theater.
The 30-year-old actor, nominated both for producing and starring in his film Marty Supreme, received a mention in O'Brien's opening monologue on Sunday, March 15, when he attended the 98th annual Academy Awards.
"Security is extremely tight tonight," O'Brien said at the start of the show. "Just got to mention that, yeah, I’m told there’s concerns about attacks from both the opera and ballet communities."
Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty
The camera cut to Chalamet, who flashed a toothy smile as he laughed along with the audience while seated next to his longtime girlfriend, Kylie Jenner.
"They're just mad you left out jazz," the comedian continued.
Later in the show, ahead of the award for Best Animated Feature, O'Brien called out Chalamet a second time. "I'm vibing with Timothée right now — we're vibing, right?," he said before adding, "He doesn't think so."
Chalamet’s Marty Supreme costar Kevin O'Leary commented on the backlash while speaking to Variety on the red carpet at the Oscars, saying, “That kid is great kid. He took a bum rap on that. By the way, he gave a lot of promo to opera houses and ballet."
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While many celebrities and members of the ballet and opera community have called Chalamet out for his seemingly thoughtless statements, this is the first time anyone has done so publicly.
In the days leading up to Chalamet's appearance at the Oscars, the comments garnered more notice online, sparking plenty of discussion with some even speculating that the controversy could cost Chalamet the Oscar win.
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The controversy began in late February when Chalamet was in discussion with former costar Matthew McConaughey at a Variety and CNN town hall. During the talk, the actor made offhanded comments about ballet and theater.
"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," he said as the crowd laughed.
After seemingly realizing the comments would be considered offensive, Chalamet added, "All respect to the ballet and opera people out there. I just lost 14 cents in viewership. I just took shots for no reason."
The comments caused many in ballet and theater to speak out, and led to multiple talk show discussions. Whoopi Goldberg weighed in on The View, warning Chalamet, "When you crap on somebody else's art form, it doesn't feel good. It doesn't feel good to see… So be careful. I'm just saying. Be careful, boy.”
See PEOPLE's coverage of the 98th Academy Awards, airing live on ABC and Hulu on March 15.
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