Actor Timothée Chalamet Under Fire For “Disrespectful” Jimmy Carter Joke On SNL: “Way Too Soon”

Who’d have thought the left would lose it over a joke from Hollywood’s golden boy, Timothée Chalamet?

If you’re like most people and don’t watch SNL these days, you might not be aware that this past weekend’s Saturday Night Live show host was Timothee Chalamet, the young, Oscar-nominated, actor who’s currently one of the biggest names out there. He recently starred in A Complete Unknown, playing the title character in the Bob Dylan biopic. And with other recent starring roles in movies like Wonka, Dune, and Little Women, he’s become all the buzz when it comes to Hollywood.

What was special about his moment on SNL this past weekend, was the fact that he was not only the host, but the musical guest – which is a rare occurrence in the show’s long history. Chalamet isn’t a classically trained singer, and he sang Bob Dylan songs which many people have their own opinions on, but we don’t need to get into that right now…

And while you would think this milestone would be the main talking point from the show, instead the internet decided to implode about one harmless joke about Jimmy Carter.

The line appeared in a sketch where Chalamet was in a long wig and a bright outfit, posing as a flamboyant bungee fitness teacher – you know, when everyone is strapped to bungee cords, and performing some exercises. I actually thought it was hilarious. The whole joke was that no calories are being burned at all, and all the jumping around is pointless.

That’s when Timothee told the group to do the “Jimmy Carter” where everyone immediately fell lifelessly while swinging around in their bungees. It was definitely a shock, but did get a lot of laughs.

workout so good you don’t actually have to exercise pic.twitter.com/iF41tZysqe

— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) January 26, 2025

But of course, immediately after the sketch the backlash began on social media, and there were even a few groans in the audience.

Of course, those who were upset by the joke claimed that it was “too soon,” after the 100-year old president passed away last month.

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 don’t think there would have ever been a right time for that. I hope his family didn’t see that

— JTV (@jayv1974) January 26, 2025

Yeah…way too soon. It made me groan.

— AQuietLife🫖 (@2019jrm) January 27, 2025

That Jimmy Carter line on #SNL… pic.twitter.com/7kIPAUaAUM

— Vince 22 (@VinceG222) January 26, 2025

If I were a betting man I would’ve bet on Timothee 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.

— Mateo Torgy (@MateoTorgy) January 26, 2025

Knew I never liked that guy…internet…cancel his ass!

— BG 🍾 (@Bottleguy) January 26, 2025

Unfunny crap, sorry. And what’s with the Jimmy Carter reference? #snl

— Sammy (@kando84) January 26, 2025

But many agree with my thoughts on the joke, which this guy explains to a T…

Breaking News: SNL does SNL things and karens get upset

— Jack Allen (@JackAllen59) January 27, 2025

But what makes it even more ironic was the long-winded impression of President Donald Trump that SNL opened with on Saturday that immediately went straight into portraying him as cruel and racist:

“Just like the Founding Fathers, I am creating a new country as well. And just like them, we’re doing it very white-ly. DEI is over. It’s dead. Workplaces must go back to looking like the TV show The Office: Mostly white people, but with one funny Black guy who’s having a really bad time. We need to bring back Stanley culture, right? In terms of crossword and with regard to pretzel day.”

Funny, nothing groundbreaking, just straight predictable. Yet nobody on the right lost their cool or went straight to Twitter meltdowns. It’s the double standard that gets me.

And yes, I know that joking about our current president is different than making a joke about a president who recently passed away, but the moral of the story is, whether you think it’s funny or not; It’s a joke. If golden boy Timothée Chalamet is cancelable for y’all, I’m not sure what we’ve come to.

Regardless, he crushed it, and many agree that he would be on the SNL cast in another life. Whether people think he is a talented singer or not, he was able to do both and executed it just fine.

Cheers to you Timmy. You survived SNL and the canceling trolls on the internet in one night.