Additional Coverage:
- Timothee Chalamet slammed as ‘disrespectful’ for manspreading Tina Fey as fans notice troubling detail (themirror.com)
Tina Fey attended Tuesday night’s Knicks playoff game at Madison Square Garden, and without uttering a word, she quickly became the center of an unexpected social media buzz.
Seated courtside during New York’s first-round matchup against the Atlanta Hawks, Fey found herself between actor Timothée Chalamet and her longtime 30 Rock co-star Tracy Morgan. Photos from the game showed Fey sitting with her knees tightly together, while Chalamet took up considerably more space with a wide-legged stance, sparking a flurry of comments online.
On X, fans didn’t hold back, criticizing Chalamet for “manspreading” next to Fey. One user wrote, “Timothée Chalamet, if you don’t stop manspreading on Tina Fey, oh my God.”
Another added, “The absolute audacity of Timothée Chalamet to manspread on Tina Fey. Poor Tina looks uncomfortable.”
The conversation quickly veered into lighthearted jabs about Chalamet’s mustache, with one commenter comparing it to Michael Cera’s “crustache,” while another joked he needed the extra space for “his 3 drinks.” Another user chimed in, “Give my girl some space, Timmy…. Bro sitting like he owns the whole row.”
Not everyone was convinced by the uproar. Some pointed out that Tracy Morgan, seated on the other side of Fey, was also occupying similar space.
“Where is this energy for Tracy Morgan doing the same thing?” one user questioned, sharing a photo showing Morgan’s knee pressed against Fey’s.
Chalamet was joined at the game by his girlfriend Kylie Jenner, and Ben Stiller was also part of the star-studded row.
This isn’t the first time Chalamet has faced public scrutiny recently. Earlier this year, the Oscar nominee, a proud New Yorker, sparked backlash after dismissing opera and ballet by saying “no one cares about” those art forms anymore. Prominent figures like Charlize Theron, Jamie Lee Curtis, Whoopi Goldberg, and Nathan Lane spoke out against his remarks.
The night’s awkward moments didn’t end there. During the live broadcast, NBC play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico mistakenly referred to Fey as “Tina Fox,” prompting viewers to note the irony given Fey’s iconic role on 30 Rock. Tirico’s broadcast partner, Reggie Miller, later corrected the slip-up with a photo of Fey, captioned simply, “Thank you for joining us, Tina Fey.”