Is Timothee Chalamet really a secret rapper or is it a conspiracy?

It's got people all over the place scratching their heads. Is the actor Timothée Chalamet and Liverpool rapper EsDeeKid actually the same person?

The Wonka star was asked directly about the theory that's been all over socials by DJ Greg James on his BBC Radio 1 show, to which he replied with a grin: "All will be revealed in due time."

It is the first time the actor has responded to the rumour since the similarity between him and the Liverpudlian performer were first talked about on TikTok, with their eyes in particular getting a lot of comparison. Chalamet hasn't made any further comment (yet) - so is it true, or another example of a conspiracy theory?

Who is EsDeeKid?

Liverpool performer EsDeeKid released his debut album this year. He currently has 602k Instagram followers and an impressive 9.7 million monthly listeners on Spotify.

Because EsDeeKid only reveals his eyes to his audience, speculation has bubbled online about the rapper’s true identity. When TikTok user KJ Freeman posted what she called the “mystery of the century”: Is EsDeeKid Timothée Chalamet? - her post claiming to link the rapper with the New York actor gained 1.6m views.

Is Timothée Chalamet a rapper?

Timothée Chalamet is the star of films such as the Dune series, Wonka and A Complete Unknown, with a social following of 19.5 million Instagram followers.

When explaining her theory, Freeman compared EsDeeKid and Chalamet’s hazel-coloured eyes and full brows. Users then posted side-by-side comparisons, placing one face above another in videos. They also found photographs of both wearing the same luxury brand scarf.

Alongside eye comparisons and the scarf, Freeman also mentioned Chalamet was spotted at the London concert of performer Fakemink, who EsDeeKid has collaborated with.

Chalamet also has a history of doing the unexpected, from entering lookalike competitions of himself, to his Saturday Night Live skit as a rapper. His acting work has also called for musical abilities when he played singer-songwriter Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown, so it’s not impossible that this could be another of his projects.

What evidence is there linking Timothée to EsDeeKid?

Comments on recent posts on both their official Instagram accounts have included comparison GIFs. Some TikTok posts comparing the two have gained thousands of likes, and users on Reddit have gone as far as comparing the tops of their noses and the veins in their hands for similarities.

Unless there is an official announcement that they are one and the same, there is no evidence to support the theory.

As Chalamet said: "All will be revealed in due course…"

How do conspiracy theories spread on socials?

Conspiracy theories are built around the belief there are secrets we don’t know about, caused by powerful groups who influence key events in the world.

This particular conspiracy theory seems harmless. Timothée Chalamet putting on a Liverpudlian accent to live out dreams of being a secret rapper is probably not going to hurt anyone - but if it were true, fans of either him or EsDeeKid may feel they have been misled.

But conspiracy theories can also lead to more dangerous misinformation or disinformation, known as fake news, to spread online - and perhaps even go viral.

We can use critical thinking to check if these theories are genuine by doing our own research. One example is EsDeeKid performing a gig in Milan, Italy, while Chalamet was at a film screening in New York - this makes it unlikely that they are the same person. The actor also said he was making the third film in the Dune series between July and November this year. It would be difficult to perform EsDeeKid’s live dates around the world at the same time.

This article was updated in December 2025.

Not sure if the news you’re seeing on social media is true or false? Can you always tell if the things you see online are real or fake? Learn how to get the other side of the story with our quizzes, videos and explainers.