Timothée Chalamet has drawn public anger after a recent joke he made concerning former President Jimmy Carter. During a recent Timothee Chalamet SNL performance, the actor poked fun at the former President, causing audience members to gasp in shock. But how bad was it?
Timothée Chalamet teamed up with fellow cast members Heidi Gardner and Michael Longfellow for a comedy sketch on the show. The sketch involved the casts supposedly doing some workout as Chalamet dished out instructions. Along the line, Chalamet exclaimed “Jimmy Carter!” to which the jumpers responded by pretending to be dead.
The joke seemed to make light of the former President’s death. Jimmy Carter died on December 29, 2024, at the age of 100. He was the 39th President of the United States. The former peanut farmer also lived to become the oldest U.S. president in history, having celebrated his 100th birthday on October 1, 2024.
Before he passed on, he spent two years in hospice care. After leaving office, he ventured into humanitarian work. His efforts earned him global recognition, including a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.
Judging from the number and intensity of reactions, it was clear that Chalamet’s joke was distasteful and didn’t go down well with most viewers. Considering that President Carter hadn’t died too long ago and most of the nation was still in mourning, it was easy to see why his actions generated lots of fierce backlash. Let’s see what people had to say.
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When Was Timothee Chalamet on SNL?
Timothée Chalamet did the controversial sketch on the Saturday, January 25, 2025, episode of the Saturday Night Live. Soon after the Timothée Chalamet SNL act, social media was flooded with angry comments. On X, under several video posts of the performance, users made their feelings known.
“I knew this was coming the second the words left his mouth. There was a distinct groan from the audience. Anyway, blame the writers -not the actor,” a comment read. “That’s awful, not even funny,” another reacted. Another user also stated that they were enjoying the performance until the Jimmy Carter mockery.
“Was funny until that Jimmy Carter line. Totally disrespectful and out of line. And yes, I have a sense of humor and love the show, but that was just horrible and too soon… I hope his family didn’t see that,” the comment read.
Chalamet also received his share of bashing from Facebook. Hundreds also responded to a clip of the sketch which the New York Post shared on the site. “Long after Chalamet is forgotten, Carter will be remembered,” one user stated. “SNL hasn’t been funny in ages,” another reacted.
“Ok. Bad President. Good person. Show some respect. Pretty bad taste. Just because he was a bad president makes him a bad person? To mock his death?? Be better people,” another user commented.
Interestingly, not everyone thought it was a bad joke. Some others were amused by the performance. “Listen up, good Lord, it’s funny. If we can’t laugh at our own mortality, then [sic] what can we laugh at?” Another X user blamed the writers. “Why are they blaming him? Lol. He’s the guest star playing a role and reading a script.”
About Timothee Chalamet SNL Joke
Trouble started for the French-American actor during his SNL sketch on Saturday, January 25, 2025. The 29-year-old entertainer acted as a bungee instructor named Nathaniel Latrine. He led six cast members in a workout session where he directed their every move.
At some point in the session, he exclaimed “Jimmy Carter!” signaling for them to do the Jimmy Carter move. When they did, it was clear to the audience that it was a mockery of the former President’s death. The cast members, on hearing the command, pretended to be dead as they jokingly lay lifeless, suspended from the ceiling by their bungee chords.
The family of the former President isn’t expected to be pleased with the Timothee Chalamet SNL performance. They are still mourning his death even weeks after his state funeral. The ceremony took place at the Washington National Cathedral on January 9, 2025.
High-profile personalities such as former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden were in attendance. Also at the event was President Donald Trump, who was about to be sworn in as America’s 47th president.
Reacting to Carter’s passing, his son Chip Carter said, “My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love.” He added, “The world is our family because of the way he brought people together, and we thank you for honoring his memory by continuing to live these shared beliefs.”
Timothee Chalamet’s SNL Review
Overall, the Timothée Chalamet SNL performance wasn’t a huge miss. In fact, a significant number of people enjoyed the presentation and didn’t see anything wrong with the Jimmy Carter joke. It also seemed like liberals were more offended by the joke than conservatives.
Jimmy Carter was a Democratic Party President from 1977 to 1981. Little wonder more of the backlash seemed to come from left-leaning social media users. Some conservatives also mocked the liberals for expressing their displeasure at the joke, noting that conservative Presidents such as Donald Trump have been at the receiving end a lot of times.
Timothée Chalamet didn’t also spare himself during his SNL performance. He mocked his recent poor successes at award shows. Seemingly, the actor wasn’t fazed by the negative reactions. He joined his girlfriend, Kyle Jenner, at a New York City afterparty just after the show.
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