Timothée Chalamet’s Comments on Black Culture Spark Public Debate

Timothée Chalamet has sparked debate online with his recent comments about Black culture.

The actor was named ‘White Boy of the Year’ at the satirical Believe That awards, a ceremony hosted by YouTuber Anthony Edwards. Chalamet accepted the title via video call from Budapest, Hungary, where he is filming the next Dune movie, according to NME.

In his acceptance speech, Chalamet joked: “I gotta shout out all the white boys that laid the path before me: [Justin] Timberlake, Justin Bieber, Jason Williams, Ed Sheeran.”

He later shared his thoughts on Instagram, writing: “You can get lost in the Sauce, but without Sauce, you are lost. That being said, I promise to cherish this award, and do good inspiring generations of white boys to come to be entirely delusional about their identity and place within the world.”

Chalamet also talked about the award on the 7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony podcast. “I joke about the ‘White Boy of The Year’ stuff and all that but it’s a fine line to walk you know,” he said. “I wanna be respectful and all the s*** you’re supposed to say blah blah blah, but really I’m just a fan. You know, I’m a fan of Black culture and hip hop and all of it.”

A clip of the podcast was shared on Reddit, where people quickly started discussing his remarks. Some critics were harsh. One wrote: “He is speedrunning into losing his reputation. He genuinely sounds insufferable. And if this is an act, that makes him even more insufferable.” Another said: “This is why I miss when celebrities didn’t speak and were mysterious. And PR trained.” A third commented: “It’s always hip hop when people talk about Black culture. Y’all know we have more than that right?”

Other viewers defended Chalamet, calling him harmless. One Reddit user said: “How are people taking this negatively? He seems pretty respectful and aware to me.” Another added: “I’m not a fan of this guy, but I don’t get the hate… What did he say wrong here? He just seems like a normal dude to me.” A third comment read: “Honestly this is harmless. Before watching this, I thought he’d sound entitled but he’s giving flowers where it’s due.”

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