Can Timothée Chalamet still win the Oscar after viral controversy?

Just days before the Academy Awards, the Best Actor race suddenly got… messy.

Timothée Chalamet had been cruising through awards season as the likely winner for his performance in Marty Supreme. The role – playing eccentric 1950s ping-pong champion Marty Mauser – earned him his third Best Actor nomination after previous nods in 2018 and 2025.

Then the internet did what the internet does best: dig up old clips.

Ata February 24 town Hall hosted by CNN and Variety, Chalamet explained why he gravitates toward film over other performing arts.

"I don't want to be working in ballet, or opera, or things where it's like, 'Hey, keep this thing alive, even though it's like no one cares about this anymore,'" he said, before clarifying he meant no disrespect.

The clip spread quickly – and the backlash arrived even faster.

Opera star Isabel Leonard publicly criticised the remark, saying that taking “cheap shots at fellow artists” reflected poorly on the actor. 

Meanwhile, Doja Cat jumped into the debate with a video defending the relevance of opera and ballet.

Even late-night TV had fun with it. During the Weekend Update segment on Saturday Night Live, comedian Colin Jost joked that Chalamet made the comment while promoting a movie about ping-pong.