Truth behind viral photo of ‘A-lister’ falling down stairs as Timothée Chalamet becomes latest victim of hoax
It was the Oscars last night, and like clockwork, a photo of a man tumbling down red-carpeted stairs has gone viral once more.
All eyes were on the Oscars arrivals for the best (and worst) dressed, and following his recent controversial comments about opera and ballet, Timothée Chalamet was coming in for a bit of stick.
It wasn't long before someone shared the snap, which features a man dressed in a white suit shockingly falling head over heels down a flight of stairs, as horrified onlookers and security try to stop him.
The hoax began when a parody news page on X shared the photo, with the caption: "Timothée Chalamet has reportedly fallen down the stairs at the #Oscars."
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It quickly gained traction and has now been viewed more than 10.4 million times at the time of writing.
One person who seemingly fell for it wrote: "What the hell happened? Did he just try a new ‘ballet’ pose to cover up his stupid comments?"
"Is this a joke? Why does everyone look so unbothered?" asked another.
"The memes are going to be insufferable, but I hope he's fine," wrote one X user.
Chalamet happened to be wearing an all-white Givenchy suit for the event too, similar to the man in the photo.
It's not the first time this picture has gone viral, with people originally thinking it was Jason Derulo.
In fact, it first gained attention back in 2015 when people thought the singer had fallen down the stairs at the Met Gala.
He quickly denied it and posted on Instagram confirming he wasn't even in New York where the Met Gala was held, but was in Los Angeles rehearsing for a tour.
Newsweek reports the star said his poor grandmother was worried it was true: "My grandmother, she's 93-years-old, she called me. She's like 'Are you alright? I heard you fell down the stairs.'
"I was like 'Grandma, I'm good. I ain't fall down no stairs,'" he laughed.
The joke stuck though, and every year when the Met Gala happens, the picture goes viral again with jokes.
At least Derulo should be pleased people no longer think it's him; now everybody thinks it's Chalamet.
So if it wasn't the Marty Supreme actor, who was it taking a tumble?
According to Marie Claire, the picture actually originates from 2011 and was taken at the Cannes Film Festival.
The identity of the unfortunate man is unknown, and the fact that his face or identifying features can't be seen makes the picture prime content for a hoax.
It's believed to be a stunt man attempting the fall in tribute to a French actor Jean-Paul Belmondo, and the screening of a film called The Beaver.
They weren't the only photos of Chalamet to go viral on the night, as someone else used AI to create pics of him seemingly wearing a tutu and dressed as a ballerina for the red carpet.
The star was nominated for Best Actor for his role in Marty Supreme, but lost out to Michael B. Jordan, who took home the prize for his role in Sinners.
It comes after Chalamet ruffled a few feathers for his comments about the arts.
He made the controversial remarks during a University of Texas talk with Matthew McConaughey: "I don’t want to be working in ballet, or opera, or things where it’s like, ‘Hey, keep this thing alive, even though like no one cares about this anymore. All respect to all the ballet and opera people out there.”
He found himself the butt of several jokes during the Oscars ceremony, as well as this picture hoax.
Topics: Timothée Chalamet, Entertainment, Celebrity, Oscars, Social Media
Jen Thomas