Real reason why Timothée Chalamet was rejected from the Oscars

Another source said voters for the award had grown wary of Chalamet’s high-profile push for the award.

They added: “There was a sense that he had campaigned very hard and very visibly, and that kind of confidence – some felt it veered into overconfidence – did not sit well with certain decision-makers.”

The insider added: “People in positions of power wanted to remind him that he is only at the beginning of his career. Not winning was seen by some as a way to keep him grounded, teach him a lesson and put him back in his place.”

A second insider pointed out the tone of the ceremony itself.

The source said: “From where Timothée was sitting, it didn’t come across as innocent or off-the-cuff humor at his expense during the night.

‘It felt much more deliberate, as if there was a clear thread running through the jokes, all going back to the same controversy.

“As the references to his ballet and opera comments continued to pile up, it gave the impression that the evening leaned into that narrative, highlighting the misstep almost over and over again, rather than focusing on his performance or the work that got him there in the first place.”