‘Two People Exchanging Saliva’ Director Loudly Booed After Dissing Timothée Chalame

Published March 15, 2026, 8:45 p.m. ET

When Two People Exchanging Saliva director Alexandre Singh took the stage to accept his Oscar for Best Live Action Short at the 2026 Oscars, he couldn’t resist throwing some shade at Best Actor nominee Timothée Chalamet, who came under fire last week for claiming that “no one cares about” art forms like ballet and opera.

“That is why we make films, isn’t it? Because we believe that art can change people’s souls. Maybe it takes ten year’s time,” Singh said, “but we can change society through art, through creativity—through theater and ballet—and also cinema. Thank you so much.”

It was clear from the way he emphasized “theater and ballet” that Singh was calling out Chalamet’s controversial comments. But as soon as this shade thrown, someone from the audience threw it right back.

From the audience, an unknown voice can be heard calling out a loud, drawn out, “Boooooooo,” immediately after Singh made his little joke.

The camera didn’t cut to the audience, so we don’t know who booed, but if I was a betting man, I’d put my money on Chalamet’s girlfriend, former reality star and Kardashian family member Kylie Jenner.

Photo: John Shearer/98th Oscars/Getty Images The Academy via Getty Images)

There’s was a lot of drama with Best Live Action Short category, in fact. It was the first time since 2012 that the Oscars saw a tie. In addition to Two People Exchanging Saliva, directed by Singh and Natalie Musteata, another short, The Singers, directed by Sam A. Davis and Jack Piatt, also won. This only happens if the vote totals are an exact match, so it’s pretty rare.

“Ironic that the short film Oscar is going to take twice as long,” joked comedian Kumail Nanjiani, who presented the award.

Director Natalie Musteata said her piece first at the mic, and when her co-director Singh took his turn, the audio from the mic was briefly cut, and the lights shut off. But a benevolent producer must have powered the mic back on. Thank god, or Chalamet never would have heard that diss. Hey, if you’re out there talking smack, you’re gonna get smack-talked back!