Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner were the center of attention at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards.
The reality star, 28, supported her actor boyfriend, 30, at the Sunday, January 4, awards show at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, amid his nomination for Marty Supreme.
Though the pair did not walk the red carpet together before the ceremony, they were later spotted holding hands backstage. Chalamet sported a blue pinstripe suit for the occasion, while Jenner opted for a skintight black, low-cut dress.
Chalamet was also spotted in the audience between awards, chatting with some of his fellow nominees. Prior to his appearance, host Chelsea Handler announced that he had arrived at the venue and told attendees that someone in the crowd had a ping pong paddle hidden under their seat. The lucky person who had the paddle would apparently be allowed to spank Chalamet at the afterparty.
Kathy Bates found the paddle under her seat and licked it as the camera zoomed in on her face. However, she appeared to regret her decision, as she quickly added, “I can’t believe I just did that.”
Chalamet is nominated for Best Actor at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards alongside Leonardo DiCaprio for One Battle After Another, Joel Edgerton for Train Dreams, Ethan Hawke for Blue Moon, Michael B. Jordan for Sinners and Wagner Moura for The Secret Agent.
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Jenner has been by Chalamet’s side as he promotes Marty Supreme. In October 2025, she quietly attended the New York City premiere of the film at the New York Film Festival. Jenner later joined Chalamet on the red carpet at the Los Angeles premiere in December 2025 as the couple posed for cuddly photos in their matching orange leather outfits.
Amid split rumors late last year, a source exclusively told Us Weekly in November 2025 that Chalamet and Kylie are “still very much together and committed” despite his absence from Kris Jenner’s 70th birthday party.
“Timothée wasn’t at Kris’ party because he is filming two huge projects right now and is working,” the insider said at the time. “He has been on set for Dune, but he and Kylie FaceTime every day.”
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As for where their relationship stands after more than two years of dating, the source told Us, “It is very serious.”
“Everyone adores them together and he has even been present in the kids’ lives, which makes Kylie so happy,” the insider revealed, referring to Kylie’s daughter, Stormi, 7, and her son, Aire, 3, whom she shares with ex-boyfriend Travis Scott.
Although Kylie and Chalamet are forced to spend time apart due to their busy schedules, the source assured Us, “Everything is going well and Kylie respects that he is working really hard right now and having a huge moment in his career.”
Kylie “doesn’t mind” that she and Chalamet “keep their relationship private.” She’s also completely OK with the fact that the two “don’t spend every day together” because “it makes their time together feel more special.”
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As Chalamet’s relationship with Kylie continues to flourish, he hinted at potentially becoming a dad one day in a November 2025 Vogue interview.
“That could be on the radar,” he told the outlet at the time, noting that he found it “bleak” when he saw someone “bragging about not having kids and how much time it afforded them to do other stuff.”
Regardless of whether he starts his own family, Chalamet emphasized the importance of maintaining his career in the years ahead.
“I had a friend of mine in school — a girl named Grace — and her parents had the most beautiful, amazing marriage,” he recalled. “This is not in [the] context of being great, so this is a little tangential, but it showed me excellence can exist without it being arduous. You don’t have to be selfish to be great, no. I know because I’ve worked with directors who are incredible and who are incredibly present in their family life.”
