Ballet star Misty Copeland took ballet to the Oscar stage shortly after this year's Best Actor nominee Timothée Chalamet dissed ballet and opera. The ballerina performed as part of the Sinners musical number at the 98th Academy Awards, on March 15, 2026.
Ballerina Misty Copeland made a stunning entry alongside Sinners cast members Jayme Lawson, Miles Caton, Li Jun Li as they performed I Lied to You at the Oscars 2026. The song was nominated in the Best Original Song category on Sunday.
I Lied to You is a blues-rock fusion which blends Delta Blues, hip-hop and more genres together, making it an ode to Black musical history. Raphael Saadiq, Brittany Howard, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Shaboozey, Eric Gales, Buddy Guy, Alice Smith and Bobby Rush were all performing as Misty joined the stage.
There was history embedded in the ballerina's costume too. Misty chose a costume that was designed by Geoffrey Holder for the 1982 ballet production at Dance Theatre of Harlem.
While most think, Misty's performance was a clapback to Timothée Chalamet's controversial comments on ballet and opera, the ballerina shared the entire thing had been in place before the actor's comments blew up.
In a recent interview, Timothée said that ballet and opera and art forms that no one cares about any more. The comment was followed by several actors and ballet and opera artists criticising the actor for his tone-deaf words.
Misty herself made her criticisms public via a TikTok video that she uploaded on March 9, 2026. During the video she said, "But I think that it's important that we acknowledge that, yes, this is an art form that's not 'popular' and a part of pop culture as movies are...But that doesn't mean it doesn't have enduring relevance in culture."
Timothée Chalamet was the front-runner for the Best Actor Oscars. He was nominated for his performance in Marty Supreme. However, he lost it to Sinners lead, Michael B Jordon.
Timothée Chalamet not only lost his Oscar but also had the front-seat to a mesmerising ballet performance at the Award ceremony on Sunday.
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