Timothée Chalamet Called ‘Vapid’ and ‘Shallow’ on ‘The View’ After Trash-Talking Opera and Ballet
Timothée Chalamet is catching heat after comments he made about ballet and opera during a recent talk with Matthew McConaughey. The “Marty Supreme” Oscar nominee said he didn’t want movie theaters to turn into a world like ballet or opera, where artists try to “keep this thing alive” even though “no one cares about this anymore.”
“The View” hosts Whoopi Goldberg and Sunny Hostin didn’t hold back in their reaction. Hostin called Chalamet’s remarks “vapid and shallow” and said she was both offended and disappointed. “Ballet is hard,” she added, pointing out the dedication required for the art form.
Goldberg also weighed in, noting Chalamet comes from a dance family and shouldn’t dismiss other performing arts. “You come from a dance family, so when you c*** on somebody else’s art form, it doesn’t feel good,” she said. “He is a boy to me. No disrespect. Really, don’t apologize when you’ve insulted. It doesn’t sound right. You can’t say, ‘Oh, this is dumb, no disrespect.’ That’s absolute disrespect.”
Chalamet had told McConaughey that while he admired actors who work to keep genres alive, he personally didn’t want to be involved in ballet or opera. “Even though it’s like, no one cares about this anymore,” he said. He added, “All respect to the ballet and opera people out there. I just lost 14 cents in viewership.”
The remarks quickly went viral, prompting reactions from the arts community. London’s Royal Ballet posted on Instagram, highlighting the magic of live ballet and opera and inviting Chalamet to experience a performance firsthand. The English National Opera extended a similar invitation, and the Seattle Opera ran a promotion offering 14% off tickets with the code “Timothée.”
Even musician Doja Cat chimed in on TikTok (though the post was later deleted), criticizing Chalamet for dismissing centuries-old art forms. “Opera is 400 years old. Ballet is 500 years old. Somebody named Tim-oh-tay Cha-lam-et had the nerve to say — on camera — that nobody cares about it,” she said.
Chalamet’s comments have sparked a heated debate online about respect for classical arts versus modern entertainment trends.
This is a tricky moment for Chalamet. He may have meant to be provocative, but dismissing art forms with centuries of history was bound to cause a stir. What do you think, was Chalamet out of line, or just sharing an opinion? Share your thoughts in the comments.