Timothée Chalamet's Comments On Black Culture Leave People Split After He's Named 'White Boy Of The Year'

Timothée Chalamet has sparked mixed reactions after sharing his thoughts on Black culture. His comments, which surfaced shortly after he received a playful new title, led to a wide range of opinions across social media.

Chalamet was recently named the “White Boy of the Year” at the satirical Believe That Awards, an event hosted by YouTuber Anthony Edwards. The title is meant to be humorous, yet it still placed a spotlight on the actor and everything he said afterward.

The first ceremony took place back in October, where the Wonka star accepted the tongue-in-cheek award and soon found himself part of an unexpected cultural conversation.

Chalamet accepted his award through a video call from Budapest, Hungary, where he is currently filming the next installment of the Dune franchise. Even through the screen, his reaction quickly became a talking point online.

During his acceptance speech he 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 expanded on the joke in an Instagram Story, writing, as shared by NME: "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 addressed the award again during his appearance on the 7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony podcast, where he reflected on the reaction it received and the fine line between humor and sensitivity.

"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.

Timothée Chalamet was given the 'White Boy of the Year' award Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

"I wanna be respectful and all the sh*t you're supposed to say blah blah blah, but really I'm just a fan," Chalamet continued. "You know, I'm a fan of Black culture and hip hop and all of it."

A clip of the podcast later spread to Reddit, where users weighed in on his comments and debated whether his remarks were fair, misguided, or simply harmless fan talk.

One critic said: "He is speedrunning into losing his reputation. He genuinely sounds insufferable. And if this is an act, that makes him even more insufferable."

"This is why I miss when celebrities didn't speak and were mysterious. And PR trained," said another.

A third added: "It's always hip hop when people talk about Black culture. Y'all know we have more than that right?"

Still, some listeners did not view his comments negatively and felt he came across as harmless and sincere, even if the discussion made some people uncomfortable.

"How are people taking this negatively? He seems pretty respectful and aware to me," somebody said.

A different person wrote: "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."

"Honestly this is harmless. Before watching this, I thought he'd sound entitled but he's giving flowers where it's due," added someone else.