Jan. 4, 2026, 10:05 p.m. ET
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner should feel honored by Meg Stalter and Paul W. Downs‘ red carpet stunt.
The “Hacks” costars paid homage to the celebrity couple du jour at the 2026 Critics Choice Awards by wearing seemingly the same eye-popping orange Chrome Hearts outfits that Chalamet and Jenner wore to the “Marty Supreme” premiere in Beverly Hills, California, a month prior.
They even accessorized and posed similarly to the celeb couple as they went down the step-and-repeat. Downs sported a ping-pong paddle-shaped black cross-body bag over his left shoulder, just as Chalamet did in a nod to his table tennis-playing character Marty Mauser at the Dec. 8 premiere.
“Our stylists planned this last July for us,” Downs, who also cocreated the HBO show, told USA TODAY on the black carpet.
Stalter joked that though there was talk about wearing the designs to a Fourth of July party, “We kept being like, ‘No one wears orange.'”
Downs riffed off his costars reply and added, “It was too hot for the summer.”
Paul W. Downs dishes on Season 5 of ‘Hacks’
“We’ve been shooting Season 5 of ‘Hacks’ and haven’t had a lot of time to shop or pull, so we just borrowed from friends,” Downs told The HollywoodReporter.
Stalter added, “My really close friend — I’m not going to name any names — but she let me borrow this dress. Fits like a glove.”
While speaking with Variety, Downs said he “loved” “Marty Supreme,” while Stalter revealed she hadn’t yet seen the Josh Safdie film that draws from the life of the late table tennis champion Marty Reisman.
Stalter and Jenner have a “sushi Fridays,” she told the outlet. “We go out for sushi at least once a month.”
Meanwhile, the inspiration for their looks was nowhere to be seen in the lead-up to the ceremony; they reportedly arrived more covertly during the award show. But the two were spotted sitting next to each other during the telecast with Chalamet even addressing Jenner for the first time in his acceptance speech for best actor.
