What do a megastar actor and a macaque have in common? Reputation

This article was originally published in The Times on March 18, 2026.

Timothée Chalamet and Punch the lonely monkey have both gone viral in recent weeks. So how much does the law defend status when fame is involved?

Timothée Chalamet and Punch the monkey don’t immediately appear to have much in common. One is an internationally celebrated film star, raised by a cultured New York family; the other an abandoned primate, shunned by his own. 

Yet both have gone viral on the internet — the actor at the drop of a clanger; the macaque at the drop of a soft toy. And their separate stories illustrate that whether you are a multimillionaire or have nothing more than an Ikea plush to your name, reputation can turn on a sixpence in the digital world. 

Punch started life as a marginal member of his troop in a Japanese zoo, rejected by his mother and bullied by his brethren. But the world loves an underdog — or “undermonkey” — and he found fame after footage of him with a stuffed orangutan went viral.

But if Punch’s reputation is on the wax, is Chalamet’s on the wane? Interviewed by fellow actor Matthew McConaughey about the future of cinema, the Marty Supreme star took a swipe at opera and ballet, art forms in which “no one is interested”. As with Punch, the internet reacted — not with applause, but this time with the sound of beautifully voiced protest and the rustle of ruffled tutus.

The lesson for all in the public eye is that both man and monkey were at the mercy of social media. It turned Punch from zero to hero, while Chalamet risks the reverse trajectory — but can the law come to his aid? 

A besmirched reputation may be remedied through defamation law for those suffering outrageous accusations, but it has rather less punch where reputational damage flows from a person’s own words or conduct. 

Here, broadcast comments were accurately repeated and reported, rather than misleadingly summarised or represented. Absent a false statement of fact made with actual malice about a public figure no claim arises — fame offers no immunity from reversals of reputational fate, if anything, it accelerates them and makes remedy a harder prize to grasp. 

Chalamet walked away from this week’s Oscar ceremony unburdened by a gilt statue — he is unlikely to burden himself with a lengthy legal battle to boot.

Man and macaque DNA differs by about 7 per cent, but human and primate societies may diverge less when it comes to reputation. Status within a group is shaped by behaviour, perception and interaction. And whether in the arboreal or concrete jungle, positive attention can readily elevate an individual while negative noise can rapidly fell a reputation.

Punch’s comic bipedal struts and an occasional wave to adoring fans suggests he may actually appreciate his digital celebrity: Chalamet will surely have felt the negative impact on his. How both rise to the challenge of retaining or restoring reputation within their groups will define both the monkey and the man.