Chelsea Handler slams Timothée Chalamet for bragging about himself

American comedian and actress Chelsea Handler has stepped into the growing storm around Timothée Chalamet, criticizing the actor for openly praising his own talent during the promotional tour for his latest film, Marty Supreme.

The backlash comes as the 30-year-old actor is widely viewed as a serious awards contender, with industry chatter suggesting he could be headed for major Oscar recognition.

The film itself draws inspiration from the life of a real underground ping-pong hustler operating in 1940s New York, but it was Chalamet’s behavior offscreen that quickly became the talking point.

Throughout the press circuit, he adopted an exaggerated and theatrical public image, repeatedly appearing in bright orange outfits and sometimes flanked by men wearing oversized masks designed to resemble table tennis balls.

The unconventional stunts raised eyebrows and fueled online debate about whether the actor was leaning too hard into self-mythologizing.

One interview in particular went viral after Chalamet, who is also known for his high-profile relationship with Kylie Jenner, lavished praise on his own performances. In that appearance, he spoke glowingly about his dedication and talent, describing his work as elite-level acting and openly celebrating his own discipline and ambition.

Handler, now 50, weighed in during an episode of the podcast Not Skinny But Not Fat after host Amanda Hirsch brought up the controversy. While acknowledging Chalamet’s ability, Handler made it clear that his tone struck her the wrong way. She said he was “a great actor” but added that “it’s hard to hear someone talk about how great they are at acting.”

Hirsch asked whether Chalamet seemed to be taking himself “too seriously,” prompting Handler to respond, “It seemed so. He seemed pretty serious about winning and getting acknowledged for his great acting.”

The conversation then turned to how Chalamet’s approach compares with other major stars. Hirsch mentioned Leonardo DiCaprio, who finally won his long-awaited Oscar for The Revenant after decades of superstardom. Handler immediately drew a contrast, saying, “No, Leo wouldn’t do that. Leo is a movie star. He wouldn’t talk like that. I mean, that’s new. I haven’t heard any actor kind of talk like that.”

The criticism echoes the reaction to comments Chalamet made last month while discussing Marty Supreme. In that interview, he openly declared, “This is probably my best performance, you know, and it’s been like seven, eight years that I’ve been handing in really, really committed top-of-the-line performances.”

He continued by insisting that his dedication deserved recognition, adding, “And it’s important to say it out loud because the discipline and the work ethic I’m bringing to these things – I don’t want people to take it for granted. I don’t want to take it for granted. This is really some top-level s***.”

That interview was uploaded to YouTube by former beauty queen turned journalist Margaret Gardiner, though it has since apparently been removed.

This is not the first time Chalamet has been accused of arrogance. At last year’s Screen Actors Guild Awards, where he won for his portrayal of Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown, his acceptance speech also sparked debate. Standing on stage, he told the audience, “I know we’re in a subjective business, but the truth is I’m really in pursuit of greatness.

I know people don’t usually talk like that, but I want to be one of the greats.” He went on to list icons he hoped to stand alongside one day, naming Marlon Brando, Viola Davis, Daniel Day-Lewis, and legendary athletes Michael Jordan and Michael Phelps.

Despite that confidence, Chalamet ultimately lost the best actor Oscar that year to Adrien Brody, who won for portraying a Holocaust survivor and architect in The Brutalist. Chalamet later admitted he was unhappy about the loss, remarking, “If there’s five people at an awards show, and four people go home losing, you don’t think those four people are at the restaurant like: ‘Damn, we didn’t win?’” He expanded on that sentiment by saying, “I’ve been around some deeply generous, no-ego actors, and maybe some of them are going: ‘That was fun.’ But I know for a fact a lot of them are going: ‘F***!’”

Addressing the criticism of his attitude head-on, Chalamet made it clear he has no plans to tone himself down. He said, “People can call me a try-hard, and they can say whatever the f***. But I’m the one actually doing it here.”