Topline
Like the Kendall Jenner-Bad Bunny and Kim Kardashian-Pete Davidson romances before them, Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet have slowly built internet fascination in their rumored relationship over the course of months before finally being spotted in public together.
Jenner and Chalamet have not commented on their dating rumors. (Photo by Leon Bennett/FilmMagic)
Key Facts
Rumors that Chalamet, the actor known for Dune and Call Me By Your Name, and Jenner are dating have circulated the internet since April, when celebrity gossip account DeuxMoi posted an anonymous message claiming the two were an item.
Without confirming the romance, the two let the rumors build, as sources told tabloids the two were “keeping things casual” and “seeing where it goes.”
Jenner’s car was spotted at Chalamet’s house in May, and Jenner herself was photographed leaving his house in June.
The pair added fuel to the rumors they are in a relationship—and instantly went viral—after being spotted kissing at Beyoncé’s Los Angeles Renaissance World Tour concert, five months after the rumors began.
Neither Chalamet nor Jenner have commented on the relationship rumors.
Key Background
Jenner and Chalamet’s alleged relationship comes on the heels of Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny’s rumored romance, which also captivated the internet and appeared to be rolled out in a similar way—months of rumors followed by public sightings. The rumors began in February, also with an anonymous DeuxMoi post that claimed the two were together in a Los Angeles club. The two were later photographed at restaurants and on dates, though neither have publicly confirmed the relationship, and Bad Bunny declined to comment on the rumors in a TIME interview. Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson were also spotted on dates for months, beginning in late 2021, before becoming Instagram official in March 2022.
Surprising Fact
InStyle magazine outlined seven steps in dating a Kardashian, several of which Chalamet and Jenner have already fulfilled. The first step—“Deny, Deny, Deny”—consists of a “worldwide social media shock and awe campaign” once the first rumors start to circulate, followed by vague anonymous statements to tabloids claiming the stars have found happiness while the family does not address the rumors. The second step—“The Tabloid Tease”—entails the stars dropping hints about the relationship, like making Instagram comments or joking about the situation, without confirming or denying. The third step is making the relationship Instagram official, which is how Kendall Jenner and Devin Booker and Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker confirmed their relationships. The fourth step is public displays of affection, which Chalamet and Kylie Jenner and Bad Bunny and Kendall Jenner did without confirming their relationships. The latter three steps involve promoting the new boyfriend’s career, appearing on a magazine cover together and sparking engagement rumors.
Tangent
The tendency of Kardashian-Jenner dating rumors to go viral evokes strong reactions from social media users. Many internet reactions and memes to the Chalamet and Jenner dating rumors have suggested that the pair seems incompatible and random. “so it was true that timothée and kylie are really dating, all this time i thought it was just a joke,” a viral post on X with 26,000 likes joked. In several viral memes on X, users post: “Kylie doesn’t have anything to offer Timothée on an intellectual level,” alongside images or videos of Chalamet engaging in silly behavior—like an old video of him dancing onstage and a video of him joking with Zendaya. A now-deleted British Vogue article criticized their rumored relationship as “just shy of believable” and suggested the pair are intellectually and professionally incompatible. Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny also faced some criticism from the latter’s fans who felt his championing of his Puerto Rican culture conflicted with the Kardashian-Jenner family’s history of allegations of cultural appropriation, including Kendall Jenner herself for launching her own tequila brand, which critics considered tone deaf.
Further Reading
The 7 Stages of Dating a Kardashian (InStyle)
Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet Make It Official In Front of Beyoncé (Harper’s Bazaar)
