Topline
Organizers of the Paris Olympics have apologized for any offense caused by a skit in the games’ opening ceremony Friday that featured drag stars in what many viewers saw as a parody of Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous “The Last Supper” masterpiece, a similarity that drew the ire of Catholic leaders and conservatives like Elon Musk and Donald Trump Jr.
An overview of the Trocadero venue with the Eiffel Tower in the background, in Paris, during the … [+]
Key Facts
Anne Descamps, a spokesperson for the Paris games, told reporters on Sunday there was “never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group” and Thomas Jolly, creative director of the opening ceremony, instead hoped to “celebrate community tolerance,” according to multiple news outlets.
She said the scene was generally well received but that organizers are “of course, really, really sorry” to anyone who was offended.
The skit saw LGBTQ+ icon Barbara Butch don a silver, halo-like headdress while seated in the center of a table with other drag artists on a footbridge, while parading athletes floated underneath on the Seine.
Though organizers said the skit was an “interpretation of the Greek God [of wine and festivity] Dionysus,” the visual similarities to “The Last Supper” were immediately spotted and criticized by those who said it was an offensive depiction of a classic religious scene in “The Last Supper,” which depicts Jesus and the 12 apostles.
Jolly on Friday said the scene wasn’t meant to be a direct recreation of “The Last Supper” and that the group sitting around the table was instead a celebration of feasting and French gastronomy.
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Crucial Quote
“My wish isn’t to be subversive, nor to mock or to shock,” Jolly said. “Most of all, I wanted to send a message of love, a message of inclusion and not at all to divide.”
Chief Critics
Right-wing pundits and some lawmakers said the skit was a mockery of the Christian faith, and one prominent Catholic leader said it was an example of a “deeply secularist postmodern society.” Billionaire Elon Musk called the skit “extremely disrespectful to Christians” and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said the scene was “shocking and insulting to Christian people around the world.” Others to criticize the scene have included Donald Trump Jr., Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, Piers Morgan and several Catholic bishops.
Contra
Recreations of “Last Supper” are not uncommon and have not often been met with the same kind of backlash as what followed the Olympic opening ceremony. Popular TV shows like “Lost,” “House,” “Battlestar Galactica,” “The Sopranos” and “The Simpsons,” among others, have posed their actors in similar photos, and art with celebrities like Marilyn Monroe, Freddie Mercury and Bill Murray portraying Jesus are readily available online.
Further Reading
Mary Roeloffs is a Forbes reporter who covers breaking news with a frequent focus on the entertainment industry, streaming, sports news, publishing, pop culture and climate change. She joined Forbes in 2023 and lives in Dallas. She’s covered Netflix’s hottest documentaries, a surge of assaults reported on social media, the most popular books of the year and how climate change stands to impact the way we eat. Roeloffs was included on Editor & Publisher Magazine’s “ 25 Under 30” list in 2023 and worked covering local news in the greater Boston area from 2017 to 2023. She graduated with a double major in political science and journalism from Northeastern University. Follow Roeloffs for continued coverage of streaming wars, pop culture news and trending topics.
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