Truth behind Timothee Chalamet’s sudden public declaration of love for Kylie Jenner on the Critics Choice stage after years of rumours about their ‘on-off’ relationship

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Kylie Jenner and Timothee Chalamet have kept their romance out of the spotlight –  until now.

The 30-year-old actor won the Best Actor award at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards on Sunday and used the moment to publicly express his love for his girlfriend, Kylie, who is 28.

After a rocky relationship with periods of being together and apart, the couple surprised many with a public display of affection just two months after rumors surfaced that they had broken up.

According to psychologist Darren Stanton, the couple is deliberately communicating something specific to the public.

According to Press Box PR, Kylie and Timothée are openly displaying their affection as a way to seek ‘social proof’ and confirm their relationship to others.

They are making it very clear to everyone that their relationship is genuine, stable, and built with purpose.

‘It isn’t just for the cameras – they’re in this relationship for the long haul.’

Public displays of affection often serve to shut down rumors and discourage negativity from people who doubt the relationship’s longevity.

They carefully choose where to showcase these kinds of events, such as last night’s Critics Choice Awards.

‘It plays into them wanting to show off their relationship in an open, public setting. 

They often choose to do this when there’s a lot of media coverage, because it helps them get the most attention.

Kylie is particularly skilled at handling the media and presents a very controlled image. Their approach seems carefully planned, not improvised.

Relationship psychologist Dr. Kathy Nickerson points out that when considering celebrity couples like Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet, it’s important to remember they’re more than just individuals – they are also public brands.

How they relate to each other is a key part of how people see them, and that perception directly affects trust, how much people like them, and their ability to form successful business relationships.

When a celebrity couple seems happy and committed, it generally improves the public image of both people, and can also benefit their work and ventures.

When things are going well, fans are happy, sponsors stay confident, and the brand feels secure. But when problems arise or rumors spread, speculation grows, negative news spreads quickly, and the brand’s reputation can suffer.

Psychologically speaking, when people suddenly show a lot more affection in public, it’s often a way of reassuring themselves and others.

When news isn’t shared, people often assume something is wrong. So, being more open and visible can show everything is fine. It’s also a way to steer the conversation and correct misunderstandings when rumors or speculation start to spread.

‘There’s also a very human element. Constant public scrutiny puts real pressure on relationships. 

When couples hear negative rumors about their relationship, they often show more public affection. This is both to disprove the rumors and to prevent those rumors from actually causing problems within the relationship.

After accepting the award for his popular film, Marty Supreme, Timothée concluded his speech by thanking Kylie, his partner of three years.

I’m so grateful for everything you’ve done for me – I truly couldn’t have achieved this without your support. Thank you so much.

Kylie was seen in the audience resting her chin on her folded hands and mouthed: ‘I love you.’

Timothée and his partner shared a tender kiss immediately after his name was called, as he went on stage to accept the award.

This happened after Kylie subtly hinted at potentially changing their long-held rule against using social media, following her public support of Timothée at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

After the Critics Choice Awards, the beauty entrepreneur posted pictures of her outfit on Instagram. She wore a sparkling orange dress by Ludovic de Saint Sernin, inspired by the movie Marty.

She captioned the post simply with orange heart emojis, a nod to the film’s press-tour color theme.

Timothee responded by ‘liking’ the post and leaving several orange heart emojis in the comments.

This was the first time the two had publicly acknowledged each other on social media. Before this, their only interaction was liking each other’s posts quietly.

Darren explained that they’ve decided to be more openly affectionate, signaling that their relationship is serious.

Despite everything, they appear to have a strong and natural connection. Notably, neither one seems to have control or dominance over the other – their relationship feels balanced.

They connect through body language, like mirroring each other’s movements, gentle touches, and leaning in close when they talk.

This shows they have an equal relationship, where neither person dominates or feels more in control.

The Daily Mail has contacted Kylie and Timothee’s representatives for comment.  

The unexpected public display of affection is even more surprising considering reports from November that the actor had broken up with Kylie, according to the Daily Mail.

According to a source, the couple goes through periods of being distant and then reconnecting. Before the movie premiere, they were taking a break from each other – they hadn’t fully cut ties, like returning belongings or blocking each other on social media, but needed some space.

The last time anyone saw the couple together was at a New York Yankees game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium.

With rumors of a split circulating, a recent article about Timothée featured him avoiding questions about his relationship with Kylie.

He firmly stated he wouldn’t discuss the romantic relationship, explaining to Vogue that he simply had no comment and wasn’t avoiding the question.

Although the actor was hesitant to discuss his relationship, the interviewer from Vogue noted he was happy to confirm he’s embracing this new chapter in his life.

In a 2024 interview with British Vogue, Kylie also declined to talk about her relationship with Timothée, explaining that she highly values her privacy.

As a lifestyle observer, I remember when the buzz started about Kylie and Timothée back in April of 2023. But things really became official when they were spotted sharing a pretty passionate kiss at a Beyoncé concert that September – it was a definite ‘moment,’ and everyone knew it was serious!

The couple first met in 2019 at Nobu Malibu. They have a mutual friend, designer Haider Ackermann.

Despite being photographed together in public, they’ve chosen not to share details of their relationship online or on her family’s Hulu show, The Kardashians, where she avoids mentioning his name.

There’s been talk that Timothée kept his relationship private because he wanted to be seen as a dedicated and serious actor.

Last month, Kylie and the actor seemed very close while traveling together for the promotion of ‘Marty Supreme’.

The couple recently sparked break-up rumors, but they quickly silenced them by making a very public and affectionate appearance together on the red carpet.

The duo even wore coordinated orange looks to the Los Angeles premiere.

Body language expert Judi James noticed Timothée Chalamet seemed uncomfortable, hinting that things might not be going smoothly in his relationship.

Judi believes Kylie intentionally chose to appear united with her partner on the red carpet as a way to confidently assert dominance in the relationship.

Oh my gosh, you guys, I was watching Kylie and Timothée, and it was SO obvious! She was practically glued to him, like, seriously clinging! Her body language was just screaming that she was totally, completely head-over-heels! It was honestly adorable…and a little intense, but mostly adorable. I swear, she couldn’t keep her hands off him!

She observed that Timothée, who generally keeps his relationships private, seemed to play the role of someone simply being seen with Kylie. He didn’t seem eager to show affection, only occasionally placing a hand lightly on her side.

In an interview with the Daily Mail, she observed that the dynamic between Kylie and Timothée appears unbalanced. Kylie seems eager to showcase a loving relationship, while Timothée appears hesitant to be publicly portrayed as part of a celebrity couple.

He seems unsure of himself in this moment. His touch on Kylie is gentle, and he doesn’t fully reciprocate her affectionate embrace, suggesting a lack of confidence or enthusiasm.

He appears happy and cheerful, but his smile seems posed for the camera. This contrasts with Kylie, whose softer facial features and eyes convey a genuine, heartfelt expression of affection.

She observed that Kylie was directing the poses, carefully placing his hand on her hip and adjusting it with each new position. It appeared she was fully in charge of creating the shots, guiding him into place while he simply smiled and cooperated.

Her sharp nails seem to mirror her confident and affectionate mood; she appears completely content and playfully shows off her connection with Timothée, beaming at the camera as she leans into him.

Fans recently spotted Timothée at the Kardashian-Jenner family’s annual, over-the-top Christmas Eve party.

After videos from the 2025 party were shared online, people noticed his name written on a gingerbread house in the background.

According to a source who spoke with Us Weekly, Timothée Chalamet made a special effort to show Kylie Jenner he was thinking of her, even though they couldn’t celebrate her birthday together.

According to a source, Timothée really made an effort to make her birthday special. He sent gifts, arranged a video call, and even worked with her friends to plan some sweet surprises.

Throughout the summer, they were often seen sitting courtside at New York Knicks games.

In May, the couple made their red carpet debut at the 70th David Di Donatello Awards, held at the famous Cinecitta Studios in Rome.

Kylie had joined Timothée at award shows like the Oscars and Golden Globes before, but she usually let him pose for photos on the red carpet by himself before joining him inside the event.

Soon after the Golden Globes ceremony, a source revealed why Kylie didn’t appear with him on the red carpet, instead joining him later that night.

According to a source who spoke with Page Six, Kylie didn’t want to draw attention to herself or anyone else. She wanted the night to focus entirely on Timothée, as originally planned.

Kylie has two children with Travis Scott, who created the Astroworld festival. Before Travis, she was linked to several other celebrities, including Cody Simpson, Jaden Smith, Justin Bieber, Tyga, and PartyNextDoor.

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2026-01-06 04:36