Overview
- A photograph from an April 28 Knicks playoff game showed Timothée Chalamet seated with his legs splayed next to Tina Fey and quickly spawned viral memes accusing him of 'manspreading.'
- Fey told hosts on the New Heights podcast on May 27 that Chalamet was 'nothing but lovely,' that she only saw the memes later, and that there was 'no beef' between them.
- The pair were on celebrity row at Madison Square Garden alongside Kylie Jenner and other stars, and Fey said they 'had a great time' with no visible tension during the game.
- Chalamet’s repeated front‑row appearances during the Knicks’ deep playoff run, including their sweep that sent New York to its first NBA Finals in 27 years, kept attention on both the team and its celebrity fans.
- The episode highlights how candid celebrity photos can be quickly memeified online and draws on a longer public conversation about 'manspreading,' a term used since the 2010s to describe a man sitting with legs spread in a way that intrudes on others’ space.