In order to understand why opera and ballet fans are so mad at actor Timothée Chalamet, you’ll need to go back to a February 24 town hall interview he did with Matthew McConaughey for Variety and CNN.

At the time, the 30-year-old “Marty Supreme” star disparaged the two art forms, claiming they were outdated and irrelevant.

“I admire people, and I’ve done it myself, who go on a talk show and go, ‘Hey, we gotta keep movie theaters alive. You know, we gotta keep this genre alive,'” Chalamet said at the time. “And another part of me feels like, if people want to see it, like ‘Barbie,’ like ‘Oppenheimer,’ they’re going to go see it and go out of their way to be loud and proud about it.”

“I don’t want to be working in ballet or opera, or things where it’s like, ‘Hey, keep this thing alive, even though no one cares about this anymore,’” the actor went on. “All respect to the ballet and opera people out there. I just lost fourteen cents in viewership. I just took shots for no reason.”

This led to Chalamet being slammed by the opera and ballet community. There are even debates over whether the actor reduced his likelihood of winning the Academy Award for Best Actor in less than a week, with betting markets reducing Chalamet’s odds for taking home a golden statue after predicting him as a likely winner for months.

Many have pointed out that it’s only his reputation that risks being ruined, because the Oscars ballots were submitted long before the clip went public.

Chalamet’s comments went viral on social media and got some big reactions. The Metropolitan Opera posted a video showing all the work that goes into productions and added the caption, “All respect to the opera (and ballet) people out there…This one’s for you, @tchalamet.”

LA Opera posted an update to say they were considering giving the actor free tickets, but decided not to because “it’s selling out.” The caption added, “There are a few seats left to purchase if you hurry.” The U.K.’s Royal Ballet and Opera also stressed how popular their shows were and invited Chalamet to come check out the “sheer magic” of a live performance.

Seattle Opera offered 14% off tickets to “Carmen” for patrons using the promo code TIMOTHEE. “Timmy, you’re welcome to use it too,” they said.

And it wasn’t just ballet companies getting in on the mockery. On a recent episode of “Jeopardy!” a category featuring ballet and opera was shared in Instagram reels alongside the caption, “NOBODY @ HIM 👀 #timotheechalamet.”

The ladies of “The View” also weren’t happy with Chalamet. Panelist Sunny Hostin said she was “offended” and “disappointed” by his comments, while moderator Whoopi Goldberg had a rant of her own.

“You come from a dance family. And so, when you crap on somebody else’s art form, it doesn’t feel good,” Goldberg said. “It doesn’t feel good to see, and you probably didn’t realize that until you said, ‘Oh, I’m in trouble.’ But then you compounded it, and said ’14 cents.’ No, when people get mad, it’ll be a lot more than 14 cents. So be careful. I’m just saying, be careful, boy.”

“And really, don’t apologize when you’ve insulted, because it doesn’t sound right. You can’t say, ‘Oh, this is dumb and no disrespect for’ — that’s absolute disrespect!” she went on.

Chalamet missed becoming the youngest ever Best Actor winner at last year’s Oscars for his role in “A Complete Unknown.” He took home his first ever Golden Globe earlier this year for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for his role in “Marty Supreme.”

A heated hearing on sanctuary policies before the U.S. Senate Budget Committee on Tuesday highlighted deep divisions in Washington over immigration enforcement, with Republicans arguing that sanctuary policies undermine public safety while Democrats primarily warned that aggressive deportation efforts would harm the economy.

Former acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf argued that local governments that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities weaken the rule of law.

“States do not have the authority to pick and choose which federal laws are followed,” Wolf told lawmakers. “To restore the rule of law, common sense, and public safety, the era of sanctuary jurisdiction needs to come to an end — permanently.”

Wolf warned that sanctuary policies prevent federal agents from identifying and removing individuals already in local custody who may be in the country illegally.

“The American people are safer when state and local government cooperate with federal immigration agencies,” Wolf said, urging local jurisdictions to give federal agents access to jails and prisons so immigration status can be determined before inmates are released.

Local law enforcement officials echoed those concerns. Michael Chapman, a Republican sheriff who represents Loudoun County, Virginia, testified that in his jurisdiction, three of five homicides in 2024 were committed by illegal immigrants.

Republican senators pressed witnesses about what they see as growing resistance to immigration enforcement among Democratic lawmakers. Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) asked Wolf directly why many Democrats appear supportive of more lax border policies.

“In your opinion, why do so many — not all — of my Democratic colleagues believe in open borders?” Kennedy asked. Wolf responded, “There are some that believe anyone and everyone should be able to come to the United States whether they apply for protections under U.S. law or not,” Wolf said. “And there are some probably that would like to see more voters in the U.S.”

The hearing also included sharp exchanges between Republicans and economists critical of the administration’s immigration policies. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) sparred with David Bier of the Cato Institute over deportation procedures and enforcement priorities, rejecting claims that judicial warrants are necessary for immigration arrests. “Why? Because it’s stupid.” Graham said after Bier acknowledged that such warrants are rarely used. 

Graham also floated legislation allowing victims to sue local prosecutors who release repeat offenders who later commit crimes — an idea immigration policy analyst Jessica Vaughan said could deter sanctuary policies adopted for political reasons.

Democrats used the hearing to highlight concerns about the broader economic impact of expanded immigration enforcement. Ranking member Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) argued that mass deportations and expanded detention could shrink the labor force and reduce economic growth.

“Fewer working people equals a smaller GDP,” Brendan Duke, who served as a senior policy adviser at the Biden White House National Economic Council, told lawmakers to back up Merkley’s rhetoric.

However, Sen. Kennedy clashed with Duke over his sudden concern and used it as an opportunity to air out more grievances with the fiscal record of the Biden-Harris administration.

“Isn’t it a fact that the profligacy of President Biden caused 9% inflation in America?” Kennedy asked.

Duke rejected the premise, prompting Kennedy to respond with sarcasm: “Isn’t it a fact that if President Biden had discovered life on Mars when he was president, he would have immediately sent it money?” Duke again said no.

“Oh you don’t,” Kennedy said. “Well I appreciate your newly found fiscal conservatism.”

Advocates of stricter enforcement rejected that argument and instead focused on the public safety and fiscal costs they associate with sanctuary jurisdictions. 

In written testimony submitted to the committee, Vaughan said roughly 13 states and about 100 local jurisdictions have adopted sanctuary policies and estimated that more than half of the illegal immigrant population lives in those areas. According to data cited in her testimony, more than 26,000 criminal aliens sought by federal immigration authorities were released by local jurisdictions between 2022 and early 2025 despite detainer requests from immigration officials.

Vaughan argued the policies create both public safety risks and high costs to taxpayers, including spending on healthcare, education, and welfare programs.

“Sanctuary policies that block cooperation with ICE end up shielding criminal aliens from immigration enforcement,” she wrote.

With immigration expected to remain a central political issue heading into the midterm elections, the debate over sanctuary jurisdictions and whether Congress should penalize them appears likely to intensify in the months ahead.