The Olympics are supposed to be a celebration of sport and the chance to watch the best athletes in the world compete on the global stage. Some of the biggest headlines thus far from the 2024 summer games in Paris, however, have had nothing to do with athletics.
Friday’s opening ceremony was unique in that the Parade of Nations saw some 10,500 athletes set sail on a 3.5-mile flotilla of 94 boats down the river Seine. It also featured a surprise performance by Celine Dion, her first in over five years. But those triumphs have been, in many ways, overshadowed by the controversies.
Chief among them: Outrage over a drag show performance that many of the 29 million viewers watching the event interpreted as a degradation of Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic rendering of “The Last Supper.” On Tuesday’s show, Megyn was joined by Stephen A. Smith, host of The Stephen A. Smith Show, to discuss the controversy and the consequences of offending religion.
The Controversy
One performance from the four-hour opening ceremony opened with a tableau of drag queens and dancers lining a long table in a way that many believe resembled da Vinci’s portrait of Jesus Christ and his 12 apostles.
French DJ and LGBTQIA+ activist Barbara Butch sported a halo-like headdress in the center of the table and was flaked by 17 performers – including some Drag Race France competitors – in varying states of undress.
The backlash was swift. “Last night’s mockery of the Last Supper was shocking and insulting to Christian people around the world who watched the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games,” Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said on social media.
The Conference of French bishops also condemned the performance. “This ceremony has unfortunately included scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity, which we very deeply deplore,” they said in a statement. Elon Musk called the display “extremely disrespectful to Christians.”
But organizers are now claiming the whole thing is a misunderstanding. Reps have insisted director Thomas Jolly was not referencing the iconic Christian painting but was instead paying homage to Greek mythology and the Feast of Dionysus.
“Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. On the contrary, I think [with] Thomas Jolly, we really did try to celebrate community tolerance,” spokesperson Anne Descamps said during a press conference on Sunday. “Looking at the result of the polls that we shared, we believe that this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offense we are, of course, really, really sorry.”
But that contradicts reporting from The New York Post. The outlet said that it received a statement from Olympic representatives on Saturday who admitted the scene was a nod to the painting. “Thomas Jolly took inspiration from Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting to create the setting,” a spokesperson told The Post in a statement. “He is not the first artist to make a reference to what is a world-famous work of art. From Andy Warhol to The Simpsons, many have done it before him.”
By Monday, the Post said it received an “updated statement” that included “explanations” from Jolly himself and made no mention of “The Last Supper” or da Vinci.
‘It’s Gone too Far’
Smith said he saw the skit and also parsed through the defense from Olympic organizers and the condemnation from critics, and he said the situation reminded him just how “powerful” religion is.
“When you mess with folks’ religion in any way – perceived or literal or otherwise – there could potentially be a price to pay,” he said. “I spoke to several people that were highly offended because they were watching the opening ceremony with their kids, and they didn’t see that coming in… They were very, very put off with that… [and] I certainly understood where they were coming from.”
While there are some 2.4 billion Christians in the world, Megyn said they are “the greatest group for offense” because they often take it on the chin. “We won’t riot in the streets and we’re not going to kill anybody if you insult Jesus, like we see if you even draw the Prophet Muhammad,” she noted.
In this case, Megyn said it has “gone too far” and many are, justifiably, “sick of” the disrespect. “Do you want to watch the opening ceremonies like that,” she asked. “It’s supposed to be something that brings us together… and they completely ruined it. They made a lot of families not want to watch it at all, which is an insult to the athletes.”
You can check out Megyn’s full interview with Smith by tuning in to episode 851 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.