NEWSConan O'Brien Pokes Fun at Timothée Chalamet's Controversial Ballet Comments During 2026 Oscars Monologue: Watch
Conan O'Brien is hosting the 2026 Oscars.
March 15 2026, Published 7:48 p.m. ET
Timothée Chalamet was able to laugh at himself when Conan O'Brien called him out at the 2026 Oscars for his controversial comments about opera and ballet.
"Security is extremely tight tonight. I'm told there are concerns about attacks from both the opera and ballet communities," the awards show host joked as the camera panned to the Best Actor nominee, who smiled and laughed along with the crowd.
Conan O'Brien Takes a Dig at Timothée Chalamet
Conan O'Brien took a dig at Timothée Chalamet while the comedian hosted the 2026 Oscars.
"They're just mad you left out jazz," O'Brien added, to which Chalamet laughed some more alongside his girlfriend and date for the night, Kylie Jenner.
The reality star, who stunned in a low-cut red gown, also giggled at the dig.
What Did Timothée Chalamet Say About Ballet and Opera?
The Best Actor nominee smiled and laughed at the comedian's joke.
As OK! reported, the Marty Supreme star was hit with swift backlash in February when speaking about the film industry with Matthew McConaughey.
"I admire people, and I've done it myself, who go on a talk show and go, 'Hey, we gotta keep movie theaters alive. You know, we gotta keep this genre alive.' And another part of me feels like, if people want to see it, like Barbie, like Oppenheimer, they're going to go see it and go out of their way to be loud and proud about it," he explained.
"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," Chalamet continued. "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 Movie Star Was Slammed for His Words
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Timothée Chalamet's sister, mom and grandmother all danced with the New York City Ballet.
His comments bothered many, especially since the star's grandmother, mother and sister have all danced with the New York City Ballet.
On The View, former dancer Sunny Hostin admitted she was "offended and disappointed in what he said. I didn't realize that he was that vapid and that shallow."
Whoopi Goldberg told the Best Actor nominee to 'be careful' about his words.
Timothée Chalamet claimed 'no one cares' about art forms like ballet and opera.
On another episode of the talk show, Nathan Lane blasted Chalamet's remarks, declaring, "What a schmuck! One doesn’t want to give this more attention than it deserves, and yet, it was kind of kaleidoscopic in its stupidity and insensitivity."
Other stars defended Chalamet while simultaneously scolding him.
"His comments are silly, and I’m sorry that they’re going to be a bit of his legacy now. I’m sure he regrets the comment because you can’t throw those art forms under a bus. You can’t do it. They’re too important," Jamie Lee Curtis told The Hollywood Reporter. "Does that mean there’s not a reduction in audiences for those art forms? I’m sure there is. Does that mean it’s going to be the destruction of those art forms? No."
