Backlash grows over Chalamet’s opera, ballet jabs

Actor Timothee Chalamet received swift backlash over his comment that he does not want to be part of opera and ballet as they are struggling to stay “alive,” and because “no one cares about this anymore.”

During a recently resurfaced interview with actor Matthew McConaughey, the 30-year-old actor suggested that ballet and opera are struggling art forms that “no one cares about” anymore.

Industry icons like actress Jamie Lee Curtis publicly added their disapproval, and Chalamet’s 2026 Oscar prospects slid on prediction markets. Chalamet is nominated for his role in Marty Supreme.

According to prediction market Polymarket, Chalamet’s odds for Best Actor on March 15 have slipped to 46%, falling into second place behind Michael B. Jordan, nominated for Sinners, who now leads at 46.8%.

Although Chalamet immediately acknowledged he “took shots for no reason,” the words sparked rebukes from global arts institutions, including The Metropolitan Opera and The Royal Ballet, which used social media to showcase their vibrant, sold-out productions.

The Seattle Opera event launched a “TIMOTHEE” promo code offering discounts on tickets.

Despite the outcry, data suggests US adult attendance for live arts, including jazz, Latin music, opera, musicals, plays, ballet, dance, and other performing arts, dropped significantly between 2017 and 2022, with opera hitting a low of just 0.7%.