Club Chalamet: The good, the bad, and the fandom
Club Chalamet: The good, the bad, and the fandom
How a single fan account sent chaos into motion
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If you don’t know who Timothée Chalamet is, it’s time to get out more. Or at least, get to the theater more.
The 28-year-old has risen to “It Boy” status as his list of stunning performances over the past decade grow. Highlights include Call Me By Your Name, Lady Bird, Little Women, and the Dune movies.
He’s gathered somewhat of a cult following. The Club Chalamet account reveals this the most, documenting his projects, successes, and sometimes his personal life. The username has over 20,000 followers on Twitter/X and over 5,000 followers on Instagram.
Club Chalamet is run by Simone Cromer, a self-proclaimed “GenX LA based super fan account.” As much as she loves Timothée, there’s something she hates just as much.
His girlfriend.
In September, Timothée’s relationship with Kylie Jenner was confirmed when they were recorded kissing at a Beyoncé concert. Club Chalamet voiced their disapproval and launched a Twitter Space the next day to talk about it.
“If you’re feeling distressed by the video, it’s ok. But please take care of yourself. Step away from social media for a couple of days,” the account posted.
Club Chalamet’s posts “seemed to indicate the Chalamet/Jenner pairing was causing the fandom1 extreme psychic tumult,” Rolling Stone reported.
“The whole saga … has renewed conversation online surrounding the extreme parasocial nature of some fans’ relationships with their favorite celebrities. ” -NBC News, Timothée Chalamet fan account blasted Kylie Jenner
Club Chalamet went from a Timothée fanclub to a Kylie hateclub. The two celebrities again received online hate after the Golden Globes as they made headlines for their PDA.
Fast forward to last week, a new rumor surfaced that Kylie and Timothée were expecting a child. The rumor’s believability? Low. Its ability to stir the pot? High.
The internet immediately wanted to know how Club Chalamet felt about the news, meming on her imagined reaction. The public’s attention on Club Chalamet was eerily similar to September. A couple days later, Us Weekly reported the rumors were not true, according to “multiple sources.” That, too, drew attention back to the account. Not all of it was good.
For awhile, Club Chalamet (i.e. Simone Cromer) set the tone for the fandom, but the internet is turning on her. She faces vitriol on Twitter, some coming at her for her age and others for her support of Israel. One account posted “the clubchalamet jokes are getting out of hand……. u ppl r weirdos who enable her scary behavior.”
It’s an interesting example of having a face behind a fan account. In its essence, fandoms unite around a single idea. Anonymity allows for greater connection. Reddit is a great illustration of this: communities thrive in their echo chamber. With privacy, there’s more space to bond over shared interests.
Simone broke this illusion, which made her Club Chalamet account multidimensional – here is a real person with real thoughts and feelings. Sounds great, but while it can increase her relatability, it also increases her potential for accountability.
Rolling Stone criticized the misogyny Club Chalamet’s Kylie hate perpetuates. “Once it becomes acceptable for misogyny to be weaponized against celebrities’ new partners, it’s easier for those views to become mainstream in the court of public opinion,” CT Jones wrote.
As of writing this, Club Chalamet has restricted who can comment on her social media posts. She said in a May post that the previous month wasn’t a good one for her. “Here at Club Chalamet, my follow count has skyrocketed, and that makes me cautiously curious, but I'll take it. So, welcome to my newest followers! Now, let's carry on,” she wrote.
She hasn’t been scared off the internet, still garnering hundreds of likes, but the restriction indicates she’s at least been intimidated. She’s not hiding, but she’s not welcoming feedback, either.
I wonder if the Kylie-Timothée saga is more of a lesson for her – or a lesson for fan accounts who wish to follow in her footsteps.
Read my last social media story: TikTok wants to be Instagram who wants to be Twitter
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🎶 What I’m Listening To: Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter.
🎞️ What I’m Watching: Challengers 👀
🔎 What I’m Reading: A Time We Never Knew by
– an exploration into what it’s like to grow up Gen Z. This piece took my breath away!📱 What I’m Scrolling: Challenger memes 😳
⚠️ What I’m Following Up On: Dan Schneider responds to Quiet on Set documentary with a lawsuit
Read the full Gen Z Dictionary here.
Fandom: A predominantly online group of fans