Timothée Chalamet Ditches Met Gala for Knicks Game

Timothée Chalamet made his priorities crystal clear on Monday night. While Kylie Jenner was turning heads on the Met Gala red carpet in a faux-nude Schiaparelli gown, her boyfriend of three years was a few miles across Manhattan, courtside at Madison Square Garden, watching the New York Knicks dismantle the Philadelphia 76ers 137-98 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Chalamet, 30, posted an Instagram Story from his seat at MSG showing the court during a break in play — no apology, no explanation needed for a man who has made his Knicks loyalty a personality trait. Jenner, 28, meanwhile, was leaving jaws on the floor in a Custom Schiaparelli Haute Couture look that featured a nude corset complete with faux nipples, blending into a voluminous white skirt that gave the illusion of a dress slipping off her body. She accessorized with an antique silver necklace adorned with rhinestones, pearls, and hand-sculpted bird heads. The look perfectly captured the gala’s “Costume Art” theme.

It’s the second straight year Chalamet has made this exact call. Last year, he stayed home to watch the Knicks’ Game 1 against the Boston Celtics instead of attending the gala. And he’s never once apologized for it. On the 7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony podcast, he explained his stance plainly: “That Knicks run last year, I think that was the most fun period of my life. Those four months, I’m not even kidding. Just the Garden being electric.” He added that he was simply too “locked in” supporting the team to attend fashion’s biggest night.

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His Knicks credentials are legitimate. A New York Times profile from May 2025 traced his fandom back to social media posts from November 2010, when a 14-year-old Chalamet was attending LaGuardia High School in Manhattan — years before his breakout on Showtime’s Homeland, let alone Call Me By Your Name or Dune. “Celebrity Row at the Garden delivers on its name,” the Times’ Scott Cacciola wrote. “And in that group of A-listers, Mr. Chalamet has the fan credentials to hang with any of them.” Monday night, he was seen chatting courtside with Tracy Morgan before tipoff, while Jalen Brunson dropped 35 points on 12-for-18 shooting in just 31 minutes to lead the blowout.

The Knicks’ own Instagram account couldn’t resist. After Chalamet posted a photo dump from MSG on May 5, they replied: “Check your dms we just sent you a 10-day.”

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The Couple’s Very Busy New York Week

Before the split-screen moment of Monday night, Chalamet and Jenner had actually been inseparable across New York City. The day before the Met Gala, the two were photographed holding hands as they arrived at a weekend performance of Broadway’s The Fear of 13 — the show Jenner’s sister Kim Kardashian co-produces, starring Adrien Brody and Tessa Thompson. Kris Jenner was also there for the family outing. (Kim returned the following night with a different plus-one: her boyfriend Lewis Hamilton, catching the show for the first time. Whoopi Goldberg and Casey Affleck were also in the audience.)

Earlier in the playoffs, on April 28, Chalamet and Jenner had been very much together at MSG — courtside next to Ben Stiller and his wife Christine Taylor — for the Knicks’ 126-97 blowout win over the Atlanta Hawks in Game 5 of the first round. Page Six noted the Marty Supreme actor was rather affectionate with Jenner during that outing. The four later headed to 4 Charles Prime Rib for a double date with Jordyn Woods and her fiancé Karl-Anthony Towns.

And the day after Chalamet chose basketball over fashion? The couple was right back together. According to Page Six, they dined Tuesday night at Sushi by Bou in Chelsea’s new “Reserve Menu” — caviar, bone marrow, toro, wagyu — with four friends, getting sake bottles and, a spy at the restaurant reported, “having a great time.”

Fans Are Divided, and Some Insiders Are Talking

Not everyone found Chalamet’s move charming. The internet split pretty cleanly into two camps: those who called the choice relatable (and appreciated that he wasn’t attending what some see as a Jeff Bezos-backed spectacle), and those who felt he owed Jenner a carpet appearance — particularly given how publicly she’s shown up for him.

Jenner attended the Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice Awards, the BAFTAs, and the Oscars as Chalamet was nominated for Marty Supreme. She was at the film’s premiere. She has been a visible, consistent presence through his entire awards season. And this is the second year running that the Met Gala — her night — was the one he sat out.

“He never supports Kylie when it’s about her, but she always supports him,” one social media user wrote. Another echoed: “I feel like Kylie be showing up to events to support him but he never (rarely?) does for her.”

There’s also the possibility that Chalamet simply wasn’t invited. He has only attended the Met Gala once — as a co-chair in 2021, where he wore a white Haider Ackermann blazer with sweatpants and Converse Chuck Taylors. He notably made headlines earlier this year for comments perceived as dismissing opera and ballet, which didn’t exactly endear him to the arts establishment crowd that populates the gala guest list.

Behind the scenes, at least one unnamed source has been making the rounds with a sharper take. “There is a feeling that Timothée is culturally and intellectually operating on a totally different level than Jenner,” the insider told OK Magazine, “and there’s the feeling in the industry his relationship with Kylie has blurred that image in ways that have not helped him professionally.” A separate source told the outlet that people in Jenner’s inner circle are “increasingly urging her to recognize her own worth” and that she “should not have to carry the relationship on her shoulders.”

For what it’s worth, the couple’s own public record tells a different story. At the 2026 Critics’ Choice Awards, after winning Best Actor for Marty Supreme, Chalamet closed his speech with a rare and direct acknowledgment: “And lastly, I’ll just say, thank you to my partner of three years. Thank you for our foundation. I love you. I couldn’t do this without you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

A source close to the couple told Us Weekly in April that the two are “very serious and committed to each other” with a relationship that’s “strong” and built on “a good rhythm.” The insider added that they’ve had “real conversations about their future,” have discussed getting engaged, and that “Timothée never thought about starting a family until he met Kylie.”

The couple has been together since April 2023, when they were first spotted getting cozy at a Beyoncé concert in Los Angeles. Jenner, who shares daughter Stormi, 8, and son Aire, 4, with ex Travis Scott, has since become a regular fixture at MSG — even picking up some criticism from Lakers fans back home in Southern California for her sudden Knicks allegiance.

The Knicks face the 76ers in Game 2 soon. Whether Jenner is back courtside — and whether there are any more scheduling conflicts ahead — remains the question. But if the sushi dinner is any indication, Chalamet’s choice of basketball over the Met Gala doesn’t appear to have cost him much at home.