Ceremonies for the 2024 Olympic Games opened in Paris on Friday night, giving spectators a taste of French culture and blasphemous art, but they have outraged Christians around the world and led at least one sponsor to pull out.
Mississippi-based communications and technology company CSpire posted on X that it was pulling all of its advertising from the Olympics after the Olympic ceremonies mocked a painting created to depict a biblical moment crucial to the Christian faith.
“We are shocked by the mockery of The Last Supper during the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympics,” the company wrote. “C Spire will be withdrawing its advertising from the Olympics.”
The four-hour show took place along the Seine River and featured international stars such as Celine Dion and Lady Gaga, both icons of the queer community.
Olympic advertisers pulled out of the Games after the Opening Ceremony. Getty Images
Drag queen Nikki Doll, who competed on season 12 of RuPaul’s Drag Race and hosted Drag Race France, participated in the fashion runway segment alongside Paloma, winner of season 1 of Drag Race France, Pichet from season 3, and Gisele Palmer.
The queens first stood to the side of the runway and watched the models strutting about, then joined in to show off their own styles.
We are shocked that The Last Supper was mocked at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. C Spire withdraws advertising from the Olympics.
— C Spire (@CSpire) July 27, 2024
Their performance included a scene reminiscent of Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper,” in which drag queens and other performers appeared in a composition reminiscent of Jesus Christ and his apostles, which garnered great attention and mixed reactions from people not only at C Spire but around the world, including the home of da Vinci’s widely admired masterpiece in Milan, Italy.
“I’m proud of Mississippi’s private sector for standing up decisively,” Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican, said on X. “God is not mocked. C-Spire drew a common sense, appropriate line.”
Many Christians were offended by what they believed to be a drag queen rendition of the Last Supper. Clint Russell / X
One user posted to X that the opening ceremony was “terrible and full of profanity.”
“There are over 2 billion Christians in the world and many of them love watching the game,” the user wrote. “Why make this a joke and make it public?”
I’m proud to see Mississippi’s private sector standing up and standing strong. God is not mocked. C Spire drew the line with common sense. https://t.co/R38yJye97I
— Governor Tate Reeves (@tatereeves) July 27, 2024
Another user wrote: “Gaga’s Olympics performance was the worst I’ve seen since Britney’s MTV show in 2007. [the] “The French flag. She’s an insult to America, an insult to France, and she has no shame whatsoever.”
Still, another Twitter user commented: “Embarrassing to represent France. This will go down as the worst opening ceremony ever.”
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Fox News Digital reached out to several camps, including members of the Catholic Church, but did not receive a response.
Vice President Kamala Harris did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Prominent far-right French politician Marion Maréchal condemned the performance on social media.
“To all Christians around the world who watched the Paris 2024 ceremony and felt insulted by this drag queen parody of the Last Supper, know that it is not France that is speaking, but a left-wing minority ready for any provocation,” she posted on social platform X, a sentiment echoed by religious conservatives around the world.
Opening ceremony artistic director Thomas Jolley later deflected attention from the “Last Supper” reference, saying it was unintentional. Clint Russell/X
After the ceremony, opening ceremony artistic director Thomas Joly deflected attention from the “Last Supper” reference, saying it was not his intention.
“Our idea was inclusivity,” Jolie told an International Olympic Committee news conference. “Obviously, if you want to include everyone and not exclude anyone, questions arise.
“Our theme was not to be disruptive. We didn’t want to be disruptive. We wanted to talk about diversity, and diversity is about togetherness,” he added. “We wanted to involve everyone. That’s it. In France we have creative freedom, artistic freedom. We are lucky to live in a free country like France.”
Paris 2024 President Tony Estanguet also spoke out.
“We envisioned a ceremony that would show our values and principles and send a very strong message,” he said. “The purpose was to really prompt reflection. We wanted to send as strong a message as possible.”
“That being said, this is a French ceremony for the French Olympics, so we trust the artistic director,” Estanguet said. “In France, we have freedom of expression, and we wanted to protect that.”
Fox News reporter Paulina Deday and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
