Jon Stewart has become the latest voice to delve into the controversy over Timothée Chalamet’s ballet and opera, waiting until the Oscar dust had barely settled to deliver his verdict.
in his first Daily show Broadcast after the ceremony, Stewart stated that the matter was conclusively resolved.
“As of last night, it is clear that opera and ballet have defeated Timothée Chalamet,” he said, after Chalamet lost the Best Actor race to sinners star Michael B. Jordan.
“No contest. A knockout! Even before they pulled prima ballerina Misty Copeland in the middle of the Sinners’ performance right in front of him. Boom. So, opera and ballet!”
It was a good summary of an Internet frenzy and all-star battle that has been going on for some time.
The problem began when Chalamet, speaking at a town hall event, said he had no desire to work in art forms like ballet or opera, where tone essentially kept alive something no one cares about anymore.
The reaction was swift and sustained, ballet and opera companies sent him invitations to shows, his peers lined up to criticize him, and the story fueled the online comment machine for days on end.
By the time the Oscars rolled around on March 15, controversy had become part of the fabric of the ceremony.
Host Conan O’Brien addressed this topic in his opening monologue, joking that security was tight due to concerns about attacks from the ballet and opera communities.
Copeland’s appearance during the sinners Her musical number, in which she had been among the most prominent voices publicly criticizing Chalamet, gave the evening an extra layer of symbolism that was hard to ignore.
