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There was a time — not all that long ago — when Timothee Chalamet seemed like a lock to win Best Actor at the 2026 Academy Awards.
The actor’s work in Marty Supreme drew rave reviews, and he campaigned harder than any nominee in any category.
Chalamet was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role at last night’s Actor Awards (formerly the Screen Actors Guild Awards).
And he was on hand at LA’s Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall, this time with his mom by his side instead of longtime girlfriend Kylie Jenner, who’s been his date for most award season events.
But as was the case at the Golden Globes, Chalamet once again went home empty-handed, the night’s top male acting prize going to Michael B. Jordan for his work in Sinners.
“I’m so honored and privileged to be nominated in categories with people and actors and humans that I love,” Jordan said in his acceptance speech (via Yahoo! News).
“This ride has been unbelievable. So thank you for welcoming me in and making me feel seen. And y’all know how I feel about y’all.”
“I don’t know what exactly is happening in Best Actor now, other than Chalamet is not winning anymore,” wrote one user on X (formerly Twitter).
“I really think Chalamet’s campaign tanked his own campaign which is NUTS,” another person replied.
“If he loses the Oscar it’s actually really embarrassing,” a third suggested.
It’s possible that no actor in history has campaigned as hard for an Oscar as Timmy has throughout this award season.
And one theory going around today is that he turned some award voters off by being so aggressive.
After all, members of the Academy and other voting bodies want to believe — correctly or otherwise — that they’re voting based on the quality of the performance, not the campaign.
Awarding Chalamet for the most public campaign in recent memory might undermine that belief.
And then there’s the movie itself. Marty Supreme garnered positive reviews, and many critics noted the strength of Timmy’s performance.
But he plays a deeply unlikable character in a movie about the power of tireless ambition.
It’s not exactly a feel-good flick, and for some voters, Chalamet’s quest for Oscar gold might be an unpleasant reminder of Marty Mauser’s conniving quest for a ping pong championship.
And then there’s the fact that Sinners has been an absolute juggernaut, with Jordan leading the way.
The film scored more Academy Award nominations than any movie in history, and it’s poised to win big on Oscar night.
We’ll have to wait until March 15 to see what happens — but it seems less and less likely that it’ll be Timmy’s big night.
