What Timothee Chalamet was hoping would be the greatest night of his life ultimately turned into an evening of pure humiliation.
The actor, 30, had originally been widely tipped to win his first Oscar for his role in Marty Supreme, yet Sunday night’s Academy Awards instead saw the star subjected to a series of jokes and putdowns.
Such was the widespread mockery on the night, that many suggested the actor looked close to tears, while others just couldn’t move on from the fact that he had turned up for the ceremony dressed like a ‘milkman’.
While he’d been nominated for Best Actor for his role in Marty Supreme he ended up losing to Michael B Jordan – who became a last minute frontrunner for the award.
It’s been suggested that Timothee’s controversial comments about ‘no one caring’ about the ballet and opera were to blame for the last minute shakeup – and the actor was certainly reminded about them during the lengthy ceremony.
Timothee, 30, was roasted within moments of the show starting, with host Conan O’Brien declaring in his opening monologue: ‘Security is extremely tight tonight. I’m just going to mention that.
‘I’m told there’s a concern about attacks from both the opera and ballet communities!’
The camera then quickly cut to Timothee, who could be seen nervously smiling beside his girlfriend Kylie Jenner. Yet according to body language expert Judi James, Timothee wasn’t thrilled by the joke.
How Timothee Chalamet became the laughing stock of the Oscars in a night of digs about his ‘milkman’ outfit and ballet comments before he missed out on Best Actor
Michael B Jordan became a last minute frontrunner for Best Actor after Timothee made controversial comments about the ballet and opera – with the Sinners star ultimately winning
Timothee, 30, was roasted within moments of the show starting, with the camera cutting to the star as he could be seen nervously smiling beside his girlfriend Kylie Jenner
Judi told the Daily Mail that Timothee’s body language suggested ‘a chastened and quite submissive response’.
She explained: ‘His cheeks raised and rounded and he displayed his upper teeth only, in a forced-looking grin while Kylie leaned over him protectively, flashing a maternal-looking warning expression from her eyes as well as a tolerant and calm-looking mouth smile.’
Judi added that in response to the joke, Timothee ‘opened his mouth wider in an expression of embarrassment and nodded slowly in a gesture of recognition and acceptance.’
The joke also didn’t land with Kylie, with Judi noting that the reality star ‘looked less comfortable, clenching and unclenching her hands before performing one very odd, loud clap that suggested a desire to get the joke over and move on.’
Despite Timothee’s strained reaction to the joke, Judi suggested that he may well have been expecting a roasting, having chosen to wear all white in a signal of ‘innocence’.
Yet his choice of attire wasn’t enough to save him from ridicule – and in fact merely added to the teasing.
The three-time Oscar nominee arrived at the ceremony in an all-white ensemble of a suit, tie and shoes, which clashed against a massive pair of black shades.
Fans roasted the ensemble on X, formerly Twitter, where one groused: ‘he doesn’t deserve to come near that Oscar due to this atrocity of a fit.’
Another wondered: ‘dear lord Timmy, what on earth inspired this monstrosity,’ as one observer joked that the young movie star resembled a ‘milkman.’
One dismissed the getup as a ‘mess,’ while another said in a nod to his romance with Jenner: ‘He needs fashion lessons from the Kardashian/Jenner clan.’
Elsewhere in the ceremony, Timothee was also called out by Alexandre Singh on stage as he won Best Live-Action Short Film, for his piece, Two People Exchanging Saliva.
‘We believe art can change people’s souls,’ Alexandre said. ‘Maybe it takes ten years’ time, but we can change society through art, through creativity, through theater and ballet – and cinema.’
Timothee also had to sat through a ballet performance on the night, with ballerina Misty Copeland dancing during the Sinners musical number.
The acclaimed ballerina had previously spoken out against Timothee’s comments, saying: ‘I mean, he wouldn’t be an actor and have the opportunities he has as a movie star if it weren’t for opera and ballet, and their relevance in that medium.
‘All of these mediums have a space and we shouldn’t be comparing them.’
Timothee also sat through a ballet performance during the ceremony, with ballerina Misty Copeland dancing during the Sinners musical number
Following Timothee’s loss, Travis Scott – who shares two children with Timothée’s girlfriend Kylie – Stormi, eight, and four-year-old Aire – appeared to throw shade at the actor
Timothee was subject to widespread mockery after his loss on the night
Your browser does not support iframes.
Your browser does not support iframes.
Timothee then suffered another upset when host Conan tried but failed to make amends with the star, as he told the crowd he and the Marty Supreme star were ‘vibing’.
‘We’re vibing, right?’ he asked Timothee, whose reply wasn’t picked up by the event’s microphones. ‘He doesn’t think so.’
Yet, the ultimate humiliation came near the end of the night, when Timothee missed out on the Best Actor award.
The Marty Supreme star looked visibly disappointed when 2025 Best Actor winner Adrien Brody read out Michael’s name instead of his, before offering polite applause.
Following the loss, Travis Scott – who shares two children with Timothee’s girlfriend Kylie – Stormi, eight, and four-year-old Aire – appeared to throw shade at the actor.
The rapper took to his Instagram Stories after the Academy Awards, to share a photo of Michael, 39, wiping away his tears as he accepted the trophy for his dual roles in Sinners.
After Travis shared the snap, fans soon took to social media to insist that rather that being a congratulatory post for the Black Panther star, it was instead intended to mock Timothee’s snub.
He first struck up an on/off romance with Kylie in 2017, before they finally called it quits three years ago, with the reality star moving on with Timothee later that year.
And Travis – real name Jacques Webster – hasn’t shied away from dissing his ex’s new man in the past, previously appearing to reference him in his track Meltdown, by referencing Timothee’s role in Wonka.
Fans took to X and Reddit to react to this latest supposed dig from the star, with many praising it as ‘iconic’ while others branded it ‘petty’.
Timothee had been the bookies’ favourite to take home the top prize until March 5, when his Variety interview with Matthew McConaughey went viral, in which he said he wouldn’t want to work in ballet or opera, because ‘no one cares about it’.
With mounting backlash and Oscars voting still open at the time, Michael then became the frontrunner for his work in Sinners, resulting in Timothee suffering an own goal when he lost out on the award.
It was a miserable end to Timothee’s seven-year campaign to master the role – during which time he insisted on having a ping pong table around him at all times.
Speaking with Jimmy Fallon, Timothee explained he was dedicated to mastering the sport, revealing there was a ‘six to seven year training process’, after he first met with director Josh Safdie about the role in 2018.
‘It was a lot of training,’ he explained. ‘It started during Covid and ping pong is a great thing.
‘The gift of my life, the gratitude exercise. I live every morning to go “Wow. For some reason I’m getting the opportunity to work”, why not go 10,000 per cent hard.’
Previously speaking to the BBC the A Complete Unknown star said he would ‘train as much as possible’ in his downtime and with a coach.
This included bringing a ping pong table to the desert while filming Dune and practicing between takes on the set of Wonka.
‘By the time the French Dispatch was coming out [in 2021], I was in a beautiful Airbnb on a cliffside for the Cannes Film Festival and I had a table with me… So I have a video of training with friends. It’s like a gorgeous sunset.
‘I think the responsibility in this movie, like in the Bob Dylan movie, if you were a Dylan fan or a guitar player, [is to make sure] that looks real to you on screen. Similarly here, if you’re a ping-pong aficionado, that that looks believable to you.’
Grateful for his success in Hollywood’s famously cutthroat industry, he added: ‘There’s worse things in life than having to learn how to play the guitar and play table tennis at a high level.’
He added: ‘This is a movie about sacrifice in pursuit of a dream. And it’s something I can relate to deeply.’
Timothee also committed to the role by deliberately blinding himself with strong contact lenses that would blur his vision and leave him feeling ‘dizzy’, forcing him to wear his character’s prescription glasses.
Explaining the reasoning, Timothee shared: ‘From an actor’s perspective, it makes you more impaired, but from an audience perspective, gives me these little beady eyes.
‘But that perspective also enhances it. It got me into the world of Marty Reisman, who’s living sort of a life of impairment.
‘At risk of being pretentious, it’s like if you gave an artist three colours instead of nine and said [do a rainbow].’
Even his speech at last year’s SAG Awards for A Complete Unknown, was made with his role in Marty Supreme in mind.
During his speech, Timothee expressed his strong ambition and drive, telling his peers: ‘I know we’re in a subjective business, but the truth is, I’m really in pursuit of greatness.’
One Battle After Another ended the 2026 Oscars by winning Best Picture as director Paul Thomas Anderson accepted the honor beside Teyana Taylor as the honor was presented by Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman (seen left to right)
Jessie Buckley continued her winning ways as she earned Best Actress for her role in Hamnet
Your browser does not support iframes.
Graham Norton asked him about his choice of wording when the actor appeared on his talk show, saying: ‘Marty Supreme this character has this kind of singular vision and self belief.
‘Then I heard you when you were picking up your SAG Award in your speech you said you are in a pursuit of greatness, are you tapping into Marty Supreme’s vision?’
Timothee admitted he was still in the ‘Marty Mauser mindset’ at the time as the awards ceremony took place two months after filming wrapped.
He explained: ‘It’s just sometimes your in the energy and tone of the character.’
He went on to joke: ‘But that’s an ephemeral pursuit I am living in absolute humility sitting next to Dame Emma Thompson, the legendary Rowan Atkinson and Edward Enniful, thank you for the British Vogue cover my brother.’
Timothee also adopted method dressing during the Marty Supreme press tour, attending all press events in tracksuit tops to embody his character.
Awards season came to an end on Sunday when One Battle After Another secured the win for Best Picture.
Paul Thomas Anderson accepted the top prize of the night alongside Teyana Taylor and the rest of the cast and crew as the film earned the most wins of the night with six.
The American black comedy action-thriller film triumphed over a massive, competitive field including: Bugonia, F1, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, The Secret Agent, Sentimental Value, Sinners, and Train Dreams.
The Leonardo DiCaprio-led film One Battle After Another is centered around a group of ex-revolutionaries who reunite to rescue the daughter of one of their own as their enemy resurfaces after 16 years.
The most talked about moment of the night will surely be that Michael earned the top honor Best Actor for his leading role in Ryan Coogler’s film Sinners.
He upset favorite throughout award season Timothee, who starred in Marty Supreme, as the field included: Leonardo DiCaprio – One Battle After Another, Ethan Hawke – Blue Moon, and Wagner Moura – The Secret Agent.
Michael was in disbelief as he walked up to the stage and was greeted by last year’s winner Adrien Brody.
Sinners is centered around two brothers who return to their hometown to start again only to discover that an even greater evil – in the form of vampires – is waiting to welcome them back.
Michael portrayed both brothers in the film: older and more serious twin Elijah ‘Smoke’ Moore in addition to younger and more cheerful sibling Elias ‘Stack’ Moore.
Jessie Buckley continued her winning ways as she earned Best Actress for her role in Hamnet.
The 36-year-old Irish actress beat out Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, Kate Hudson – Song Sung Blue, Renate Reinsve – Sentimental Value, and Emma Stone – Bugonia.
Hamnet takes place after Agnes and William Shakespeare (Buckley and Paul Mescal) lose their son Hamnet to the plague and grapple with grief in 16th-century England, based on the novel of the same name.
Agnes is a healer who must find strength to care for her surviving children while processing her devastating loss.
One Battle After Another was the biggest winner of the evening as Paul Thomas Anderson earned both Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Meanwhile, Sean Penn was not in attendance as he earned his third Oscar.
The 65-year-old A-lister’s name was announced by Kieran Culkin for the Best Supporting Actor Award for his work in One Battle After Another but he was not in the building to accept.
He triumphed over his One Battle After Another co-star Benicio Del Toro in addition to Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein, Delroy Lindo – Sinners, and Stellan Skarsgard – Sentimental Value in the highly-competitive category.
The sharp-tongued Culkin joked: ‘Sean Penn couldn’t be here this evening or didn’t want to, so I’ll be accepting the award on his behalf.’
One Battle After Another was the biggest winner of the evening as Paul Thomas Anderson earned both Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay
Sean Penn was not in attendance as he earned his third Oscar
Amy Madigan took home the first award at the Oscars 2026 on Sunday night
Ryan Coogler finally earned his first in the Best Original Screenplay category for his epic Sinners
KPop Demon Hunters earned Best Animated Feature Film (Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans and Michelle LM Wong are seen left to right) and Best Original Song for Golden
Amy Madigan took home the first award at the Oscars 2026 on Sunday night.
The 75-year-old veteran actress earned Best Supporting Actress for her work in Zach Cregger’s supernatural mystery horror film Weapons.
It was one of the most contentious categories of the night as she was up against Elle Fanning – Sentimental Value, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Sentimental Value, Wunmi Mosaku – Sinners, and Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another.
Ryan Coogler finally earned his first win in the Best Original Screenplay category for his epic Sinners.
One of the most touching wins of the night came when Autumn Durald Arkapaw won Best Cinematography for Sinners.
The second award of the night was groundbreaking as KPop Demon Hunters earned Best Animated Feature Film.
The Netflix film triumphed over Arco, Elio, Little Amelie or the Character of Rain, and Zootopia 2.
Later on in the night the film made history once again as KPop Demon Hunters earned Best Original Song for the smash hit song Golden.
It beat out Dear Me – Diane Warren: Relentless, I Lied to You – Sinners, Sweet Dreams of Joy – Viva Verdi!, and Train Dreams – Train Dreams.
The Netflix film is centered around the members of a world-renowned KPop girl group who balance their lives in the spotlight with their secret identities as demon hunters.
