The 98th Academy Awards, held on March 15, 2026, were alive with anticipation and drama—not just on the stage, but on the red carpet as well. At the center of the evening’s buzz was Timothée Chalamet, star and producer of the much-lauded film Marty Supreme, who found himself both a frontrunner for Best Actor and the subject of a heated public debate over comments he made about ballet and opera. The controversy, the defense, and the ultimate outcome of the night all combined to paint a picture of Hollywood’s evolving relationship with the arts—and with its own stars.
Chalamet, 30, was riding high coming into Oscar night, nominated for Best Actor for his role as Marty Mauser in Marty Supreme and as a producer for the film’s Best Picture nod. The film itself was a critical darling, racking up a total of nine nominations, including Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. But just weeks before the ceremony, Chalamet’s offhand remark during a February 24 media appearance—"I don't want to be working in ballet, or opera, or things where it's like, 'Hey, keep this thing alive, even though like no one cares about this anymore.' All respect to all the ballet and opera people out there,"—sparked a wave of backlash from the performing arts community and beyond.
It didn’t take long for the comment to go viral. Renowned artists and public figures, including Andrea Bocelli, ballerina Misty Copeland, actors Jamie Lee Curtis and Sheryl Lee Ralph, and even director Steven Spielberg, voiced their disapproval. Spielberg, speaking at the 2026 SXSW Conference and Festival, reminded audiences that magical moments "happen in ballet and opera, by the way," just as they do in movie theaters. The message was clear: the classical arts still matter, and many weren’t ready to let Chalamet’s words slide.
Yet, as Oscar night approached, Chalamet’s Marty Supreme co-star Kevin O’Leary—known to many as the sharp-tongued host of "Shark Tank"—was quick to leap to his defense. O’Leary, who played tycoon Milton Rockwell in the film, made his support for Chalamet crystal clear in interviews with Variety and CNN on the red carpet. "He's a really great guy. His mother's really nice. That whole thing about the opera—by the way, I just put $1,000 on Kalshi walking in here," O'Leary said, referring to his bet that Chalamet would take home the Best Actor Oscar. "He's going to win, because I know the voting stopped long before that controversy happened. That kid is a great kid. He took a bum rap on that. By the way, he gave a lot of promo to opera houses and ballet."
O’Leary’s confidence was infectious. He even joked about his own foray into acting, saying, “I always feel you should get out of your comfort zone as often as you can, because you exercise the most important muscle in your body, your brain. I really enjoyed it. I was working with A-listers like Gwyneth, and Timmy was amazing. Even my agent said, ‘Don’t do this. You don’t know how to act.’ I said, ‘Why don’t I try it?’ Now I’m going to try and do one a year.”
But it wasn’t just O’Leary who weighed in on the importance of the classical arts that night. Josh Groban, scheduled to perform at the Oscars ceremony, spoke passionately about the role of the arts in society. “We need the arts to remind us what our humanity is, who we are as human beings when everyone is trying to tell us how different we are and how angry we should be. We need these art forms to bring us together,” Groban told Variety. Reflecting on the controversy, he added, “I think the fact that [Chalamet’s comments] have galvanized people to talk about and celebrate these categories of the arts, it’s had an accidentally positive effect. We’ve all said things, and he’s had a lot of people saying a lot of things, and I’m not going to add to it, so I will just say that we should support those arts 100%.”
Despite the support, the tension lingered. Chalamet himself seemed aware of the stir he’d caused, quipping during his original comments, “I just lost 14 cents in viewership, I just took shots for no reason.” But the larger question—had the controversy affected his Oscar chances?—remained unanswered as the ceremony began.
O’Leary, for one, was sure it hadn’t. “I know the voting stopped long before that controversy happened,” he stated confidently. And for a time, it seemed the odds were in Chalamet’s favor. He had been the presumed frontrunner for Best Actor, especially after a string of critical successes and awards season momentum. However, in a twist that left many surprised, the award went instead to Michael B. Jordan for his performance in Sinners. Chalamet, despite his dual nominations and the nine nods for Marty Supreme, would leave the ceremony without the coveted statuette for Best Actor.
For O’Leary, this meant losing his $1,000 bet on Kalshi, a detail he took in stride. As Business Insider reported, "Still, Jordan went home with the coveted best actor Oscar, and Mr. Wonderful lost that $1,000—he just can't blame ballet and opera lovers for swaying voters." The outcome was a reminder that, in Hollywood, even the surest bets can go sideways, and that the Academy’s decisions are often as unpredictable as they are dramatic.
Yet, the night wasn’t just about wins and losses. O’Leary shared a behind-the-scenes anecdote about filming Marty Supreme that revealed a more playful side to the production. He described a scene where his character whacks Chalamet with a ping-pong paddle, joking, “Chalamet’s rear end was glowing red by the time we were done filming that scene. There was a stunt rear end, but he stepped up at 3:45 in the morning and said, ‘I want it to be mine.’”
As the dust settled, the conversation around Chalamet’s comments continued to swirl. The incident had, as Groban noted, sparked a renewed discussion about the value of classical arts in an era dominated by blockbuster films and streaming platforms. While some saw Chalamet’s words as dismissive, others—like O’Leary—argued that the ensuing debate had actually shone a spotlight on ballet and opera, perhaps even giving them a promotional boost.
For Chalamet, the night was bittersweet. He may not have walked away with the Best Actor Oscar, but his work in Marty Supreme and the passionate defense from colleagues like O’Leary ensured he remained at the heart of Hollywood’s ongoing conversation about art, relevance, and redemption. And for audiences watching at home, it was a reminder that, in the world of entertainment, controversy and camaraderie often go hand in hand.