Hollywood\u2019s awards season is often a masterclass of balancing grandeur with subtlety \u2013 but according to one Academy voter, Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet appears to have missed that memo.<\/p>\n
The actor entered the 2026 Oscars race as the top contender of the season, but an Academy member and voter tells The U.S. Sun that his chances of taking home the top prize have steadily slipped away.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s not just down to the competition, but because of the image he\u2019s projected during the campaign.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been a member of the Academy for 12 years and I\u2019ve never seen someone throw away their chances of winning as brazenly as Timothee,\u201d the insider, who wished to remain anonymous, confessed when speaking with The U.S. Sun.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not just a few people talking about it, most of the voters are hyper-aware of his antics which is never a good thing.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t want people talking about you during awards season for anything other than your performance.<\/p>\n
\u201cNominees who are favoured more tend to be more understated and Timothee is the opposite of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Timothee\u2019s performance in Marty Supreme initially made him the frontrunner in the Best Actor race, with many critics praising his commitment to the role.<\/p>\n
But according to the insider, the conversation surrounding the star began to shift as awards season progressed \u2013 particularly as some of his public comments and artistic choices sparked debate online and within Hollywood circles.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe blew his chances for a few reasons,\u201d the Academy voter said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat at first seemed to be a genuine passion for the arts has rubbed people the wrong way and almost makes it as though he\u2019s making a mockery of the arts.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure that\u2019s not his intention but that\u2019s how it comes across.\u201d<\/p>\n
During the promotional circuit, Timothee, 30, came under worldwide scrutiny for harsh comments he said about various art forms, such as opera and ballet, during a pre-Oscars sit-down with Matthew McConaughey.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to be working in ballet, or opera, or things where it\u2019s like, \u2018Hey, keep this thing alive, even though like no-one cares about this anymore\u2019,\u201d Timothee quipped when discussing the decline of audiences going to movie theatres.<\/p>\n
The comments, which were said just two weeks before the Oscars, garnered so much backlash that he even faces losing a lucrative brand deal with Cartier, who is a sponsor of many opera houses and ballet companies, The U.S. Sun exclusively reported.<\/p>\n
The actor also raised eyebrows during the 2025 Screen Actors Guild Awards when he delivered an acceptance speech referencing \u201cgreatness\u201d \u2013 a moment that quickly circulated online and was interpreted by some as overly self-serious.<\/p>\n
It comes as one Academy member revealed that Timothee once had their support \u2014 but that vote ultimately shifted as the season unfolded.<\/p>\n
\u201cTimothee originally had my vote,\u201d the insider admitted.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt changed to Michael B. Jordan as the awards season progressed. Not for any one reason, but Michael\u2019s performance in Sinners stood out to me more than Marty Supreme as the weeks passed.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Michael standing on that stage holding the Oscar would be something I\u2019d be proud to vote for,\u201d the source said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t say the same thing about if Timothee were to win.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 98th annual Academy Awards will be held on Sunday, March 15th in Los Angeles, California and will be hosted this year by beloved comic Conan O\u2019Brien.<\/p>\n