Jacob Elordi is facing backlash after recent paparazzi photos showed him driving a car despite the actor recently withdrawing from serving on the jury at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival due to a foot injury.
The Oscar-nominated Frankenstein star, 28, had originally been confirmed for a spot on the competition jury under president Park Chan-wook. However, days before the two-week French festival kicked off May 12, Elordi reportedly broke his foot.
Due to the demands placed on jurors — including shuttling between numerous film screenings, press events and photo calls, as well as repeatedly climbing the iconic Palais staircase — the Australian actor had to step down from the prestigious role.
However, the severity of the Saltburn actor’s injury has been called into question after popular gossip Instagram account Deuxmoi published pictures of Elordi driving Timothée Chalamet, Kendall and Kylie Jenner around in a car.
“How do you turn down the chance to be one of the youngest ever Cannes jury members, due to a foot injury, only to be seen being the DRIVER in a car with 3 other passengers, each who could have taken the wheel if your foot was really that badly injured?” one person wrote on X, calling the situation a “fumble.”
“And mind you, Skarsgard had a stroke and still went,” a second noted, referring to Stellan Skarsgard, who suffered a stroke in 2022. Speaking at a panel on the opening day of the festival, the Swedish actor, 74, admitted that the spring in his step was “a bit limp.” “I had a stroke and getting up the staircases in this place is really difficult,” he shared.
“The stairs at Cannes are no joke. There are no ramps & no accessible options available,” a third wrote on X, arguing that Elordi’s injury “could’ve been worsened by attending.”
“You can drive with a broken foot,” a fourth replied, while another defended Elordi’s decision adding: “It’s called work life balance. He deserves a break too.”
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Elordi, who currently stars in the third season of Euphoria, would have sat on a jury chaired by director Park and consisting of Skarsgard, Demi Moore, Chloé Zhao, Ruth Negga, Belgian director-screenwriter Laura Wandel, Chilean filmmaker Diego Céspedes, Ivorian American actor Isaach De Bankolé and Scottish screenwriter Paul Laverty.
Had Elordi served on the judging panel, he would have been among the youngest jurors in Cannes history. Elle Fanning still holds the record for being the youngest appointed juror at just 21 in 2019.