BritishVogue has sparked backlash over an article that questioned the authenticity of Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet’s rumoured romance.
On 29 August, British Vogue shared a piece about the pair with the headline: “Are Kylie Jenner And Timothée Chalamet In Love… For Real?” The article came amid ongoing reports that the pair could be dating, as they’ve been spotted together on multiple occasions throughout the last few months.
While addressing the allegations that Chalamet and Jenner reportedly started dating in April, the British Vogue writer shared her “humble opinion” of the rumoured couple, claiming the romance is “just shy of believable”. The writer went on to question the validity of the relationship by comparing the pair’s careers, with references to Chalamet’s hit movie, Lady Bird.
“Maybe it’s just that my conception of Chalamet is still stuck in Kyle from Lady Bird’ mode, leading me to have a difficult time believing he’d be dating someone so Jenna Walton-coded instead of a girl who hews closer to the Christine ‘Lady Bird’ McPherson weird-girl mold, but I just... don’t entirely buy it,” the article continued.
The writer prefaced that while she wasn’t saying that “Jenner and Chalamet couldn’t genuinely like or even love one another,” she was still “stuck on the details”. She went on to question and poke fun at what the pair does together, with claims about Jenner’s career as a reality star and founder of a makeup company.
“Does he hold her make-up brushes while she contours? Does she help him sift through Wes Anderson scripts? Does he give Stormi French lessons?” she wrote, referring to Jenner’s five-year-old daughter, Stormi, who she shares with ex Travis Scott. “And how did they end up together, anyway?”
The British Vogue author also addressed rumours that Jenner’s sister, Kendall Jenner, introduced Chalamet to the Kylie Skin founder. She then joked about what Kris Jenner’s reaction to her daughter’s romance with the Little Women star could have been.
“It’s hard for me not to picture Kris sifting through a laminated binder full of leading men, debating which of the Hollywood Chrises would pair best with Kylie’s latest haircut,” the article quipped. “I guess I’m kind of glad she chose a Chalamet instead.”
However, the Vogue writer still acknowledged that a real romance could be brewing between the two celebrities, concluding: “Maybe I’m wrong, of course, and maybe a foppish leading man and a humble lip-kit mogul really can find love in this crazy world. Honestly, I kind of hope so.”
Readers have since taken to X, formerly known as Twitter, to criticise the article for the “sexist” way in which it examines Chalamet and Jenner’s respective careers. Others expressed their disappointment with how celebrities’ relationships have been covered by the media.
“I am not one to ever give a damn about celebrity romances but this is one of the most sexist things I’ve ever heard. ‘Does he help her hold her makeup brushes?’” one person wrote. “Were you saying that about cheerleaders dating people in high school? What, lmao.”
“Can we just stop caring so much about celebrities’ personal lives and focus on ourselves??” another wrote.
A third tweeted: “Why don’t they mind their business, like who cares if the relationship is real or not. That’s Kylie’s and Timothee’s business, not theirs.”
Others accused the Vogue article of using Jenner and Chalamet careers as a measure of their compatibility, with one X user writing: “You heard it here first folks. If you don’t have the exact same occupations or interests then you should be questioning the authenticity of your relationship.”
The Independent has contacted British Vogue for comment.
The article comes weeks after rumours first surfaced that the reality star and actor had broken up. Life & Style initially reported that Chalamet ended it with Jenner after seven months of dating, with the alleged sources also alleging that the Dune actor “used the reality star for publicity for his upcoming Wonka movie”.
However, multiple sources close to the couple have since dispelled the rumour that they’ve split. Sources told TMZ that just because Chalamet and Jenner haven’t been seen together in public doesn’t mean they’ve split, and “any reports that say otherwise are false”.
Back in April, the pair first sparked romance speculation when DeuxMoi claimed that they were dating. After the blind item about the pair was shared, the internet was instantly sent into a frenzy, with fans sharing their shocked reactions to the unlikely celebrity pairing.
The stars have since been photographed together on multiple occasions, as photos published by theDaily Mail on 1 June showed them at Chalamet’s home in Beverly Hills. According to Entertainment Tonight, the photos were taken between 8 May and 18 May.
