The Olympic Opening Ceremony always generates plenty of conversation, but the noise has been particularly loud this year thanks to a fashion show segment that many Christian viewers considered an inappropriate reference to The Last Supper. The bit featured a fashion show with several drag queens and later included a naked singer who was painted blue. Several shots were framed in such a way that many were reminded of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting that referenced a meal Jesus shared with disciples before his crucifixion, but organizers later said the similarities were not intentional.
Intentional or not, the segment was called a “mockery” by the Catholic Church in France, led to some sponsors pulling out and inspired numerous conservative pundits and celebrities to release statements condemning the artistic decision. One of the longest and most in-depth came from former queen of Hallmark and current face of Great American Family Candace Cameron Bure. In an extended video that quoted scripture and referenced several of her family members who have medaled at the Olympics, she called the segment “disgusting” and said it made her “sad.” You can read part of it below…
The Olympic Games have always brought me so much joy. It’s the best of the best athletes in the world competing for the title. So to watch such an incredible and wonderful event that’s gonna take place over the next two weeks and see the opening ceremony completely blaspheme and mock the Christian faith with their interpretation of The Last Supper was disgusting and it made me so sad.
In an effort to quell the backlash, the Olympic organizers first put out a tweet saying the reference point for the segment was actually Dionysus, the Greek God of Fertility. Afterwards, they issued an apology statement, saying they weren’t trying to offend anyone, and finally, the creative director who put together the program, Thomas Jolly, spoke with reporters and said he wasn’t trying to reference The Last Supper, merely trying to make a commentary about diversity.
Bure later amended the comment attached to her post and said fans had informed her about organizers citing Dionysus as the inspiration. She said she didn’t fully buy the explanation and regardless, didn’t consider the presentation appropriate for children. You can watch her full video below…
Unfortunately for all involved, The Last Supper/ Dionysus issue wasn’t the only issue the opening ceremony dealt with. There was a wardrobe malfunction that had many convinced one of the performers had one of his balls out. South Korea was mistakenly introduced as North Korea, much to their frustration, and it rained for the first time at an opening ceremony since the 1950s. On the bright side, however, some of the opening ceremony ruled, as a series of vignettes included performers like Lady Gaga and Celine Dion, among many others, as well as really cool visuals and even a segment that blended Les Mis and heavy metal.
Whether because of the clarification, because of the apology or just because people are ready to move on, the controversy surrounding the opening ceremony seems to be dying down. The Games are now fully underway and medals are being awarded. You can watch the Olympics on NBC’s family of networks in The United States, on Peacock or via a variety of other methods in other countries.