Tina Fey says she has “no beef” with Timothée Chalamet after he went viral for “manspreading” while seated next to her at a New York Knicks game—adding that she was more focused on the team’s win than the meme storm.
Tina Fey didn’t show up to talk about Timothée Chalamet the way social media did—full of side-eyes, screenshots, and jokes about “manspreading.” She showed up to put the record straight on the New Heights podcast on Wednesday, and she made one thing clear right away: she’s not mad.
The whole moment started last month at a New York Knicks game against the Atlanta Hawks. A photo of the 30-year-old actor seated next to Fey—along with his girlfriend. Kylie Jenner—went viral after some viewers called out what they described as “manspreading.” The internet didn’t hold back. with comments that read like their own improv set. including lines like: “It’s giving middle seat on the airplane. ” “timothee chalamet if you don’t stop manspreading on tina fey i swear to god. ” and “the L train at 7 in the morning.”.
On the podcast, Fey addressed the meme wave with her usual blend of humor and directness. The Saturday Night Live alum said she got “so many memes,” then framed the issue in a way that sounded less like a complaint and more like a timing problem.
“I got [sent] so many memes. I should start by saying that Timothée Chalamet was nothing but lovely. super friendly. and it wasn’t until the next day that I saw all of these manspreading things. You gotta remember, for every amount that he’s sitting like this and manspreading, I’m doing the opposite. I’ve got a big ol’ can. So. as Amy Poehler would say. ‘God is fair.’ Timothée’s legs took the front. my big ol’ can was takin’ the back.”.
That’s the kind of line that doesn’t just land—it travels. And Fey’s remarks had Travis and Jason Kelce cracking up.
By the end of the day, Fey said she only cared about one thing: not the trending jokes, not the positioning, not the online commentary. “It was all good and the Knicks won, so everybody was happy.”
So the update seems simple: no feud, no dramatic fallout—just a reminder to Timmy that the internet will remember your seat posture for longer than you might expect.
Tina Fey Timothée Chalamet Knicks Atlanta Hawks Kylie Jenner New Heights podcast manspreading Travis Kelce Jason Kelce