Actor Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet sparked backlash after saying \u201cno one cares\u201d about opera and ballet, comments that quickly drew criticism from artists and cultural figures. But<\/span> one singer admitted that she joined the pile-on for a different reason: \u201cvirtue signaling.\u201d<\/p>\n Recording artist Doja Cat acknowledged that her criticism came not out of personal conviction, but because she wanted to participate in online outrage, revealing that she has never even attended an opera or ballet performance.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI took it upon myself yesterday to kind of give it to the man because there is a culture based around outrage and things like that, and people want to feel like they\u2019re part of something,\u201d the 30-year-old singer shared in a TikTok video. \u201cIt\u2019s a need to connect, whether good or bad.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhat I was doing\u2026was virtue signaling because I wanted to connect and I knew that Timoth\u00e9e\u2019s goof up was something that I could leverage in order for people to connect with me and f*** with me,\u201d Doja Cat went on.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cAnd it\u2019s easy. It\u2019s a modern way to garner clicks, likes, approval and all kinds of things like that from people. And so I did that yesterday, and I didn\u2019t really think about why I was doing it\u2026 I don\u2019t know anything about opera. I don\u2019t know anything about ballet, and I\u2019ve never been to either shows.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n That message was shared after Doja Cat\u2019s original, since-deleted TikTok told Chalamet to \u201csit the f*** down and shut the f*** up\u201d and insisted that \u201cpeople give a f***\u201d about opera and ballet.<\/span><\/p>\n The controversy began after a clip from Chalamet\u2019s <\/span>conversation<\/span><\/a> with Matthew McConaughey during a CNN & Variety town hall event went viral. The \u201cMarty Supreme\u201d actor was blasted for saying \u201cno one cares\u201d about the two art forms.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Ballet dancer Misty Copeland <\/span>claimed<\/span><\/a> Chalamet wouldn\u2019t have his acting career if opera and ballet didn\u2019t exist. Legendary opera singer Andrea Bocelli said Chalamet\u2019s comments \u201c<\/span>surprised<\/span><\/a>\u201d him and invited the actor to attend one of his performances.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Many social media users are now saying the outrage cycle has dragged on too long. Chalamet has not issued a public apology or clarified any of his comments. So far, Doja Cat appears to be the only celebrity who has admitted that she was only coming down hard on the actor to get clicks.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n