Timothée Chalamet defended after making controversial Jimmy Carter joke on SNL
Timothée Chalamet has been defended by Saturday Night Live viewers after he made an 'unnecessary' joke about former president Jimmy Carter on the show.
The iconic show is known for its numerous celebrity hosts, and this Saturday (25 January), it was the Oscar-nominated actor's turn at the hosting gig for a third time.
The episode took a few shots at current events, such as Donald Trump's return to the The White House as the 47th president of the United States, as well as a few skits surrounding AI, baristas in training, and a medical podcast called 'Medcast' - all of which star Timothée.
While SNL has its fair share of controversial jokes, one particular joke caught a few people off guard.
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During the 'bungee' skit, Chalamet played an instructor at a workout class. His exercise group were all strapped into harnesses from the ceiling as he tells them to do various poses, like the 'frog'.
He then tells them to 'do the Jimmy Carter', with the group then proceeded to hang lifeless in their harnesses.
Carter was the longest-living president in US political history - having served in office from 1977 to 1981 - and he died at the age of 100 on 29 December, 2024.
His son, Chip Carter, called his father a 'hero' in a statement, adding (via the BBC): "The world is our family because of the way he brought people together, and we thank you for honouring his memory by continuing to live these shared beliefs."
The joke left a sour taste in some viewer's mouths and they took to social media to voice their opinions.
Taking to Twitter, one person said: "Totally disrespectful and out of line. And yes I have a sense of humour and love the show but that was just horrible and too soon.
"I don’t think there would have ever been a right time for that. I hope his family didn’t see that."
Another said: "Wow SNL a Jimmy Carter is dead joke? Not funny, not appropriate," while a third added: "If I were a betting man I would’ve bet on Timothée Chalamet winning an Oscar for his Dylan portrayal, but his dead Jimmy Carter joke on SNL a full month before voting ends changes that.
"Insensitive & really immature. Just unnecessary."
However, some fans came to Chalamet's defence, with one person claiming on Instagram: "I doubt Jimmy Carter would have been offended by this."
Another said that Chalamet didn't actually write the joke as it is the show's writers who come up with the majority of the material.
They wrote: "Go after SNL writers, not the actor who is just reading the cue cards they wrote for him."
"It's comedy, they’re doing their jobs like wtf," a third said. "Overly-sensitive people would think this is offensive, but comedy is anything but especially since it's COMEDY.
"Jimmy had a sense of humor, TRUST that he would think this is hysterical."
While someone else said that people needed to 'get over it', adding: "It’s called comedy. It’s a joke."
Both the Call Me by Your Name star and SNL have yet to respond to the criticism.
Tyla has contacted Timothèe Chalamet's reps and NBC for comment.
Topics: Celebrity, Oscars, Social Media, TV And Film
Mia Williams