Timothée Chalamet’s movie premiere turns into the Kylie Jenner show

Timothée Chalamet, Gwyneth Paltrow, director Josh Safdie and others involved in the making of “Marty Supreme” walked the red carpet Monday night for the Los Angeles premiere of the hotly anticipated new sports comedy-drama, which scored three Golden Globe nominations Monday and is on track to nab multiple Oscar nominations — including a best actor trophy for Chalamet — when the nominations are announced Jan. 22.

But for the premiere, it appears that Chalamet’s girlfriend, Kylie Jenner, stole the spotlight, with her image and news about their romance dominating headlines and social media overnight. The Kardashian family member even managed to upstage her serious-actor boyfriend, not just by matching him in bright orange leather, but by posing with her hands all over him, in an obvious effort to refute reports that he “dumped” her or that he sees her as a “kiss of death” for his “Marty Supreme” Oscar chances.

The Daily Mail had its body language expert, Judi James, examining red carpet photos and videos of the two. Chalamet and Jenner certainly knew how to make a scene. Both wore that eye-popping shade of orange, which pays homage to a movie that tells the quirky story about an aspiring Ping-Pong champion in the 1950s. To match Chalamet’s suit, Jenner wore a gown that was designed to grab attention — a plunging, body-hugging cut-out gown that emphasized her curves and cleavage.

James argued that the cosmetics mogul was “curating” their red-carpet poses by clutching tightly to Chalamet and directing where he should put his hands on her body. Jenner looked “overly smitten,” James said, while Chalamet, who has previously preferred to keep his relationships out of the spotlight, wore a slightly uncomfortable smile and came across as her “show pony.”

On social media, Jenner’s fans disagreed with James’ suggestion that Jenner’s public display of affection was one-sided. Jenner’s fans probably have a point: Chalamet had to be on board with this loved-up act, perhaps because he wants to let the world that he, too, is smitten and that they are a couple. On the other hand, Chalamet also has shown himself to be a savvy marketer of his own image and probably knows that flaunting his romance with the reality TV star could attract a certain demographic to his movie.

Chalamet definitely had to be on board with getting a Los Angeles-based label, Chrome Hearts, to design their coordinating outfits, as CNN reported. CNN also reported that the particular shade of orange in their outfits was inspired by the orange of the table-tennis balls used in the film.

Chalamet also got some promotional help from Jenner’s mother, who has 51 million followers on Instagram. E! News reported that Kris Jenner on Monday posted a photo of herself wearing a “Marty Supreme” sweatshirt. If nothing else, this move added to the sense that the movie’s premiere provided an opportunity for her daughter to show that she wasn’t dumped by the movie star after all.

Jenner and Chalamet’s 2½-year, on-off relationship has long been a source of speculation. They seem like an unlikely couple, given that he likes to present himself as a young artist destined for greatness, while she’s famous for being an influencer.

Last month, the Daily Mail reported that Chalamet had broken up with Jenner, though the tabloid’s sources also said there was a chance they might get back together. Much was made of the fact Chalamet did not accompany Jenner to the star-studded party thrown by Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez for her mother Kris Jenner’s 70th birthday. People magazine sources offered a more optimistic take on the relationship, saying “They’re really in love.” People said Chalamet and Jenner had been apart in recent months because he was working in Europe, though they make “an effort to see each other every few weeks.”

Late last month, Hollywood industry expert Rob Shuter said he expected that the relationship would be more “off” than “on” in the coming months as Chalamet promoted “Marty Supreme,” which is due in theaters on Christmas Day.

On The Nerve podcast, Shuter predicted — falsely, it turns out — that Chalamet wouldn’t have Jenner walk any future red carpets with him because he wants to win a best actor Oscar.

“You might win a People’s Choice (award) if you date Kylie Jenner.” Shuter told host Maureen Callahan. But he said that Jenner’s presence at “Marty Supreme” events would be “the kiss of death” in the “snobby Oscar world.”

Callahan agreed, saying, “He’s such a wannabe serious artiste, and you can’t do that if you’re dating a Kardashian Jenner.” She added: “I think Timothée is gunning for an Oscar with this ping-pong movie, and I think he knows he’s not going to get it (if he’s dating Jenner).”

Shuter, a former publicist, gossip columnist and editor of the American edition of “OK!” magazine who now publishes the Naughty But Nice Substack, said people in Hollywood were pretty shocked that Chalamet didn’t win for his performance as Bob Dylan in 2024’s “A Complete Unknown.”

“Everybody thought he he was going to win (for “A Complete Unknown”),” Shuter said. The Oscars producers clearly expected Chalamet to win because they sat him in “the winner’s seat,” one of the seats in the front row of the Dolby Theatre. But Jenner was seated next to him.

When second-time winner Adrien Brody’s name was announced instead, “there was a shock,” Shuter said. “There was almost like an investigation in Hollywood, almost like a failed political campaign, to uncover why this didn’t work. What was it about this movie, this process, this campaign, that didn’t connect? And all the results, I’m told, pointed their finger at Kylie.”

But on Monday, Chalamet let Jenner make a spectacle of their romance. He clearly doesn’t see her as a liability. Or, he thinks that the great reviews that both he and the movie have received so far will be enough to finally get him an Oscar at age 29. This would be his third nomination. While the third time for anything is sometimes supposed to be “the charm,” Chalamet also faces a competitive best actor race, with Leonardo DiCaprio the current front-runner for “One Battle After Another.”