Timothée Chalamet’s controversial comments about opera and ballet during a CNN–Variety town hall event continue to follow him like a shadow. The actor has faced mounting criticism in the press, while ballet dancers, opera singers, and major institutions have defended the relevance of the performing arts. Now, Sunny Hostin of The View has joined the conversation, taking aim at the Marty Supreme actor over his remarks.
Sunny Hostin “disappointed” in Timothée Chalamet’s remarks about ballet
Chalamet’s comments suggested that opera was a fading art form that few people still cared about. His critique of the performing arts came while he was making a broader point about audience demand for cinema, arguing that art forms should not rely on active campaigns to keep them alive.
“I don’t want to be working in ballet, or opera… where it’s like, ‘Hey, keep this thing alive even though no one cares about this anymore.’ All respect to the ballet and opera people out there. I just lost 14 cents in viewership,” the Dune star said.
However, his comments did not land well with many in the classical performing arts world. Now, Hostin has also stepped in to defend opera and ballet artists.
“Ballet is hard,” Hostin said, adding that she was “offended” by what the actor had to say about the centuries-old art form. “I’m offended and disappointed in what he said. I didn’t realize he was that vapid and that shallow,” she remarked.
Meanwhile, Hostin’s co-host, Whoopi Goldberg, also criticized Chalamet, noting that his comments were particularly surprising given his family’s ties to dance and ballet.
“You come from a dance family, so when you c— on somebody else’s art form, it doesn’t feel good,” Goldberg said.
She continued: “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.”
Several major institutions, including the Royal Ballet and Opera and the Seattle Opera, even used the controversy to promote their latest productions. For Timothy Chalamet, the backlash has become an unexpected public relations headache, one some observers say is entirely self-inflicted.