Charlie Puth has joined the growing backlash against Timothée Chalamet after the actor made controversial remarks about ballet and opera.
The debate began after Chalamet discussed the future of acting during a conversation with Matthew McConaughey. While talking about artistic fields he hopes to avoid, the Dune star referenced traditional performing arts.
“I don’t want to be working in ballet or opera, or things where it’s like, ‘hey, keep this thing alive,’ even though it’s like, no one cares about this anymore,” Chalamet said, adding that he meant “all respect to the ballet and opera people out there.”
The comments quickly sparked criticism from performers and artists associated with those disciplines.
Puth became one of the latest public figures to respond.
Writing on social media platform X, the “See You Again” singer defended traditional art forms and their lasting influence.
“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,” Puth wrote.
He added that modern music itself is built on earlier artistic traditions.
“The popular music we hear now simply wouldn’t exist without the popular music that came before it centuries ago,” he said.
Puth joins several other celebrities who have criticized Chalamet’s remarks, including Doja Cat, Jamie Lee Curtis and songwriter Diana Warren.
The debate has sparked a wider conversation online about the cultural value of classical art forms and their influence on modern entertainment.
