Timothée Chalamet may have just stepped into a PR minefield. Following the Marty Supreme star’s viral comments dismissing ballet and opera, Los Angeles is firing back with some hilarious jabs. His exact words were: “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.'”
LA Opera responds
Leading the charge, LA Opera put forth a masterful social media sting. Posting a stunning visual from Philip Glass’s Akhnaten, they tagged the actor with: “We’d offer you complimentary tickets, but it’s selling out.” BURN! By highlighting a sold-out, avant-garde production, the institution effectively dismantled Chalamet’s “dusty” stereotype with cold, hard data.
Craving the classics?
Ballet of Lights in L.A. combines fibre-optic costumes with beautiful interpretations of fairytales, with attendees saying that it’s, “unique, beautiful, innovative, and able to convey the traditional storyline.”
20 December 2026 16:00 + more dates
The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage
Candlelight in L.A. pays tribute to everything from modern musicians to classical composers like Vivaldi on strings, by the light of thousands of candles.
23 January 2027 17:30
Fox Studio Lot – Zanuck Theater
8 January 2027 20:30 + more dates
Los Angeles Equestrian Center
6 December 2026 18:00 + more dates
Los Angeles Equestrian Center
12 November 2026 18:15 + more dates
Richard Nixon Presidential Library & Museum
14 November 2026 18:00 + more dates
The Biltmore Los Angeles
20 November 2026 18:15 + more dates
Los Angeles Equestrian Center
29 November 2026 18:00 + more dates
Los Angeles Equestrian Center
15 January 2027 18:15
The Biltmore Los Angeles
6 December 2026 18:00 + more dates
The Queen Mary – Queen's Salon
20 December 2026 18:00 + more dates
The Queen Mary – Queen's Salon
22 November 2026 18:00 + more dates
Los Angeles Equestrian Center
15 November 2026 20:45
Petersen Automotive Museum
8 January 2027 18:15
Los Angeles Equestrian Center
6 December 2026 20:15 + more dates
The Queen Mary – Queen's Salon
13 November 2026 18:15 + more dates
The Biltmore Los Angeles
13 November 2026 18:15 + more dates
Pasadena Presbyterian Church
13 November 2026 20:30 + more dates
The Biltmore Los Angeles
13 November 2026 20:30 + more dates
Pasadena Presbyterian Church
15 November 2026 18:30
Petersen Automotive Museum
20 November 2026 20:30 + more dates
Immanuel Presbyterian Church
13 December 2026 20:30 + more dates
Aquarium of the Pacific
20 November 2026 18:15 + more dates
Immanuel Presbyterian Church
21 November 2026 18:00 + more dates
Los Angeles Equestrian Center
21 November 2026 20:15
Los Angeles Equestrian Center
28 November 2026 19:15 + more dates
Immanuel Presbyterian Church
4 December 2026 18:15 + more dates
Los Angeles Equestrian Center
29 November 2026 19:45 + more dates
Immanuel Presbyterian Church
4 December 2026 20:30
Los Angeles Equestrian Center
29 November 2026 20:15 + more dates
Los Angeles Equestrian Center
28 November 2026 17:00 + more dates
Immanuel Presbyterian Church
5 December 2026 16:30 + more dates
Los Angeles Equestrian Center
5 December 2026 19:45 + more dates
Los Angeles Equestrian Center
19 December 2026 18:00
The Biltmore Los Angeles
19 December 2026 17:30 + more dates
Fox Studio Lot – Zanuck Theater
17 December 2026 18:15 + more dates
The Queen Mary – Queen's Salon
18 December 2026 20:30
Pasadena Presbyterian Church
19 December 2026 20:00
Fox Studio Lot – Zanuck Theater
13 December 2026 18:15 + more dates
Aquarium of the Pacific
18 December 2026 18:15 + more dates
The Queen Mary – Queen's Salon
20 December 2026 18:00 + more dates
GRAMMY Museum
20 December 2026 16:00
GRAMMY Museum
26 December 2026 18:00
Vibiana
27 December 2026 20:15 + more dates
Los Angeles Equestrian Center
5 February 2027 18:15
Los Angeles Equestrian Center
Hollywood speaks up
The critique turned personal when L.A. icon Jamie Lee Curtis entered the fray. Curtis questioned why any artist would “punch down” at another, she amplified concerns that in an era of Artificial Intelligence, live performers who cannot be faked should be protected, not ridiculed.
A blow to the Oscar race?
The timing couldn’t be worse. With Oscar season in full swing, local outlets like the L.A. Times are speculating that this controversy might have “iced” Chalamet’s awards momentum. Between Grammy-winner Isabel Leonard calling his views “narrow-minded” and local dancers pointing out his own family’s ballet roots, he may find this city a bit chilly this spring.
