Doja Cat defends opera and ballet after Timothée Chalamet's comments spark debate
Photo: Reuters
Doja Cat has spoken out in defence of opera and ballet after comments by Timothée Chalamet about the art forms prompted debate online.
The rapper addressed the issue in a video posted on TikTok, where she responded to remarks Chalamet made during a town hall event organised by Variety and CNN. His comments about opera and ballet circulated widely on social media and drew reactions from several public figures.
The Marty Supreme actor spoke about career choices and audience interest in traditional performing arts.
Ok I did not hear this. This sucks pic.twitter.com/O2ZW26zHrb
“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.’”
He later added, “all respect to the ballet and opera people out there. I just lost 14 cents in viewership.”
Responding to his remarks in her video, Doja Cat highlighted the long history and cultural significance of the two performing arts.
“By the way, opera is 400 years old and ballet is 500 years old. Some guy named Timothée Chalamet, great guy by the way, had the audacity to tell the cameras that nobody cares about that [opera and ballet]. I’m pretty sure that if you went to an opera house right now, it would be packed, and everyone would be silent while the performance is happening, because they have so much respect for it. […] It’s something very beautiful!”
The musician, who has more than 27 million followers on TikTok, is among several figures who have responded publicly to the actor’s remarks. Songwriter Diane Warren commented on the discussion on X, while Jamie Lee Curtis shared a video on social media of someone criticising Chalamet’s statement.
The National Board of Review also joined the conversation by posting a video celebrating films featuring opera and ballet. The debate was further referenced in a recent segment on Saturday Night Live.