Timothee Chalamet sparked controversy after saying 'no one cares about' opera or ballet, causing the Met Opera and more to clap back
Timothée Chalamet beefing with the Metropolitan Opera, LA Opera and Royal Ballet was not on anyone's 2026 bingo card. Chalamet, 30, raised eyebrows after making an off-handed comment about the performing arts community during an onstage conversation with Variety, which was published last month.
“Some people want to be entertained quickly. I’m really right in the middle,” Chalamet explained to Matthew McConaughey while discussing audiences’ shortened attention spans. “Because I admire people , ‘Hey, we gotta keep movie theaters alive. We gotta keep this genre alive.’” Chalamet noted, “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.’” The Marty Supreme actor quickly added, “All respect to the ballet and opera people out there,” before seemingly acknowledging his misstep. 'Damn, I just took shots for no reason,” Chalamet, whose mother, Nicole Flender, was a professional dancer and New York City Ballet performer, admitted. The Met Opera was among the establishments that clapped back with Chalamet’s remarks. The organization posted a video via Instagram on Thursday, March 5, highlighting all the performers, designers, crew and behind the scenes workers at the opera. “All respect to the opera people out there,” the Met Opera wrote alongside the video, adding, “This one’s for you, @tchalamet… 👀” in the caption. The clapback video received support from the Broadway community, actors, Dancing With the Stars pros and more celebrities. “He’s gonna be singing a different tune when the live arts are all that’s left after AI takes over. Oh wait. He’s above singing a tune,” Tony winner Laura Benati wrote in the comments section. Jordan Fisher and Sarah Hyland both shared clapping hands emojis in support of the post as did DWTS’ Sharna Burgess. The Los Angeles Opera addressed Chalamet’s comments with humor as well, posting a photo from the opera Akhnaten, which is currently in residency in the city. “Sorry, @tchalamet. We’d offer you complimentary tickets to Akhnaten, but it’s selling out. There are a few seats left to purchase if you hurry,” the caption read on Wednesday, March 4. The Royal Ballet in the U.K. shared their own tribute video to its dancers, writing, “We care,” with a red heart emoji on the clip. “Every night at the Royal Opera House, thousands of people gather for ballet and opera. For the music. For the storytelling. For the sheer magic of live performance,” they captioned the upload on Friday, March 6. “If you’d like to reconsider, @tchalamet, our doors are open. ✨#TheRoyalBallet #TheRoyalOpera #RoyalBalletAndOpera.” Jamie Lee Curtis showed her support for the arts by reposting a video via her Instagram Story that questioned, “Why are any artists taking shots at any other artists?” Megan Fairchild, a principal dancer for the New York City Ballet, fired back at Chalamet’s comments as well via an Instagram video. “Timmy, I didn’t realize you were a world class dancer or opera singer, who simply chose not to pursue it because acting is more popular,' Fairchild quipped. 'Ballet and opera aren’t niche hobbies people opt out of for fame.' She added in her caption, “Good luck in the Oscar race. Artists supporting artists matters. None of these paths are easy, and there’s no need to put ballet or opera down along the way.”
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