Fact Check: Did DirecTV cancel future Olympic broadcasts over opening ceremony's Last Supper controversy? Viral post debunked

A viral Facebook post dated August 2, 2024, claimed that television broadcaster DirecTV canceled all Olympic broadcasts indefinitely until the International Olympic Committee makes "certain guarantees."

The post, shared by a meme account titled America's Last Line of Defense, stated that the decision came after the Last Supper controversy in the Olympic opening ceremony as it used an image from the show in the post. The caption of the post read:

"DirecTV CEO Joe Barron says the company will never show another Olympic games - summer or winter - unless the International Olympic Committee makes certain guarantees."

The post also included a meme, which said,

"DirecTV Cancels All Olymic Broadcast Contracts Indefinitely: 'Until They Can Assure Us it Will Never Happen Again."

The viral Facebook post from America's Last Defense (Image via Facebook)

However, the claims of the post are false. There is no proof that the broadcasting channel ever made the statements mentioned in the post.

NBC Universal currently holds the media rights in the US to broadcast all Olympic matches until 2032, and it can be watched through the DirecTV stream.

The post also allegedly quoted DirecTV's CEO, Joe Barron. However, according to the broadcaster's official website, the company's CEO is not Joe Barron but Bill Morrow, who holds the position currently.

It is also noteworthy that the source of the rumor came from a network of social media handles under ALLOD. These handles claim that their content is satirical, and the info bar of their official Facebook page states:

"Nothing on this page is real."

The viral meme in the Facebook post reportedly also included a "Satire" badge in the corner. ALLOD and its social media handles have spread such fake news multiple times in the past, per the publication.

America's Last Line of Defence Facebook Page (Image via Facebook)

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More about the viral post and the controversy

Paris 2024 - Opening ceremony - Source: Getty

The post featuring DirecTV used the image of the feast from the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony, stating that the controversial performance led to the cancellation of the event's broadcast rights.

The rumor was fake, but the alleged Last Supper performance faced massive backlash for their supposedly disrespectful depiction featuring Jesus Christ. While Celine Dion, Lady Gaga, and others lit the stage up, a reported depiction of the Last Supper caused widespread controversy within Christian religious circles.

The Last Supper is a famous Da Vinci painting that shows the exact moment Jesus Christ declared an apostle would betray him. Many viewers thought that LGBTQIA+ icon Barbara Butch allegedly replicated that exact scene with drag queens and other dancers during the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Olympics.

While the performance had certain similarities with the painting, there is no conclusive evidence to prove it was a depiction of that exact scene. The Olympic Committee has denied such claims multiple times.

Amid widespread backlash, artistic director Thomas Jolly took a stance and stated that the scene had no connection with The Last Supper and was to pay tribute to French feasting and gastronomy.

The official X account dedicated to the Paris Olympics also notably mentioned that the performance was an "interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus" and that it depicted the absurd nature of violence between human beings.

Olympics 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps explained how the scene depicts diversity and tolerance and did not aim to hurt any religious sentiments. Descamps commented during an International Olympic Committee news conference in July,

“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.”

She ended her comments by apologizing to the people who felt offended by the gesture.

“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.”

Descamps finally added that Thomas Jolly, along with the Olympic Committee, wanted to send a message of love and inclusion, and that was the sole purpose of the act.

Meanwhile, NBCUniversal continues to broadcast the events of the 2024 Paris Olympics. It is hosted by Mike Terico and Snoop Dogg on most days. Viewers in the United States can watch the events through the DirecTV stream. The stream includes all the essential channels, such as CBS, ESPN, Fox, and ABC, in all their packages.