Overview
- Chalamet said at a Feb. 21 CNN/Variety town hall with Matthew McConaughey that he did not want to work in ballet or opera because “no one cares about this anymore,” then joked he had “just lost 14 cents in viewership.”
- The Metropolitan Opera posted a rebuttal video, the Royal Ballet and Opera and the English National Opera invited him to attend performances, and Seattle Opera offered 14% off Carmen tickets with the promo code TIMOTHEE.
- Opera singers Isabel Leonard and Deepa Johnny called the comments narrow-minded and disappointing, and Jamie Lee Curtis questioned why artists would take shots at other artists.
- SNL’s Weekend Update referenced the flap, noting he was criticized by major opera and ballet organizations and quipping about his press tour for a ping-pong film.
- A New York Times culture op-ed framed his words as a point about public attention rather than artistic worth, and he has not issued a fuller clarification beyond his in-interview acknowledgment.