Earlier this week Doja Cat joined the legions of people defending opera and ballet in the wake of comments Timothée Chalament made about the art forms. "I’m sure you can walk into an opera theater right now, seats will be filled out, and nobody’s saying a word as the performance is going because everybody has that much respect for it," Doja Cat said in a since-deleted video, referencing Chalamet's recent claims that "no one cares about" it. Sorry to everybody in the opera community who are already mad, but now, Doja's walking back those comments.
In a new video, Doja Cat explained she acted on impulse because she "wanted to look like a hero." She said in part:
I am gonna come out and just say I know nothing about opera... I've never been to a ballet. I've never seen an opera. and I took it upon myself yesterday to kind of give it to the man, because there is a culture based around outrage and things like that, and people want to feel like a part of something. It's like a need to connect, whether good or bad...
What I was doing yesterday was virtue signaling because I wanted to connect, and I knew that Timothée's goof-up was something that I could leverage in order for people to connect with me and fuck with me. And it's easy, it's a modern way to garner clicks, likes, approval... And I didn't really think about why I was doing it. I think that for the last couple days I've been acting on impulse anyways because I just love to be fucking goofy... But I wanted to be sincere in a moment, and that was the perfect material for me to seem sincere.
But the truth is that I don't know anything about opera, I don't know anything about ballet, and I've never been to either shows. And I think I just wanted a hug. I think that that's all that I wanted. I wanted to feel like I was part of something bigger than myself. I wanted to be pat on the back the way everyone else was patting each other on the back. And I wanted to look like a hero.
Meanwhile, other stars are weighing in across both sides of the argument: "I feel compelled to say that even when an art form isn’t at the height of its popularity, traces of it still live on in the music and cinema that resonate with people today," Charlie Puth wrote.
Slovak singer/former ballerina Adéla opined in a paparazzi video that Chalamet was unfortunately correct: "He’s not wrong. [Ballet] is kinda a dying art form. It’s sad. If anything, he’s just highlighted that."
Andrea Bocelli told People, “I am convinced that a sensitive performer like Timothée, who understands the power of emotions, may one day discover that opera and dance draw from that very same source." The opera star added, "Should he ever be curious, I would be happy to welcome him as a guest at one of my concerts."
Jamie Lee Curtis said she was sure that there's been "a reduction in audiences for those art forms," adding: "Does that mean it's going to be the destruction of those art forms? No."
Ballet star Misty Copeland, who wore a Marty Supreme on Instagram last year, said, “I think that it’s important that we acknowledge that, yes, this is an art form that’s not ‘popular’ and a part of pop culture as movies are, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have enduring relevance in culture.” She added, “[Chalamet] wouldn’t be an actor and have the opportunities he has as a movie star if it weren’t for opera and ballet and their relevance in that medium."
"Oh, what a schmuck," Nathan Lane commented on The View. "It was kind of kaleidoscopic in its stupidity and insensitivity, and yet strangely telling about where we are in this country." He added, "People will be going to see Swan Lake and La Traviata long after someone at a dinner party says, 'Who was Timothée Chalamet?'" Lane also remarked, "Why was there a town hall meeting with Matthew McConaughey and Timothée Chalamet? Who deemed this meeting of the minds necessary?" And: "I've got news for Timmy: If you think nobody cares about opera and ballet, I can't tell you how much we don't care about ping-pong."
Self-proclaimed Phantom Of The Opera fan and Emilia Pérez star Karla Sofía Gascón, who was infamously caught in controversy of her own before last year's Oscars, offered Timmy some condolences on her Instagram story: "Best of luck at the awards." (Oscar voting ended before his comments went viral, so Marty Supreme has ben marked safe.)
At least Opera Australia is thanking Chalamet, however:
