Kevin O'Leary, the entrepreneur and Shark Tank star who made his acting debut in Marty Supreme, lost a $1,000 (£752) bet after betting on co-star Timothée Chalamet to win the Best Actor Oscar. Chalamet was considered a frontrunner but ultimately lost to Jordan, whose film Sinners was a big winner on the night.
O'Leary placed the last-minute bet on sports betting site Kalshi ahead of the ceremony. Speaking on the red carpet, he told Variety: 'I just put 1000 bucks on Kalshi walking in here that he's going to win.' He praised Chalamet as 'a really great guy'.
Chalamet's campaign suffered after he claimed that 'no one cares' about opera and ballet, sparking backlash from figures including ballet legend Misty Copeland and director Steven Spielberg. However, O'Leary insisted the controversy would not affect voting, noting that voting had closed before the remarks.
The comments were addressed by host Conan O'Brien, who joked about security concerns from the opera and ballet communities. Chalamet, seen laughing with girlfriend Kylie Jenner, had made the remarks during a CNN and Variety town hall, saying he did not want to work in ballet or opera as 'no one cares about this anymore'.
