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On July 31, a rumor arose on social media platforms that Thomas Jolly, the artist behind the 2024 Paris Olympics inaugural ceremony scandal was struck by lightning.
The claim was first made by a TikTok user with the handle @we_the_people_news2.0 who alleged that he found a news clipping of a Paris-based local station with the headline, “Artist behind the Paris Olympics opening ceremony hospitalized after freak lightning strike.”
The TikToker wearing a red MAGA hat reading “Trump 2024” sat in the front seat of a car while making his video with the news clip attached at the top. He began by laughing and saying that he discovered the report was but “not sure how true” it was.
“So, what’s your comeback on this one, Left? Apparently, you all were saying that ‘Oh no, it wasn’t mocking anything to do with this man [signals to the cross on his neck]. This man knows what y’all are doing, in the name of trying to bring unity. And a few hours later, supposedly, the dude who did this has just been hit by ‘freak lightning strike,’” he sarcastically stated.
In the wake of this now-viral video report alleging Thomas Jolly’s alleged lightning accident, the internet is having diverse reactions. For instance, Instagram user @craigdrachowski commented on @roningirl13’s repost of the video by writing:
“Lying just hurts your credibility.”
Several others joined in the conversation under the same post. Some slammed the TikToker for laughing at a serious issue such as an alleged lightning accident.
Others questioned the authenticity of the viral report.
There were also a few who appeared to believe the claim, adding that it was a consequence of mocking God.
Notably, “Almighty speaks loud and clear,” “Need I Say More?” and “Anyone Care to Explain?” were some of the phrases used by the TikToker in the original video claim.
Meanwhile, no major news outlet has reported on the same. Not only that but hours after the alleged report, Thomas Jolly posted on his Instagram Story a 50-second video of himself posing with his pug, while many others sang and danced along to French-Malian singer-songwriter Aya Nakamura’s songs.
The words, “Que C’est Beau” were written on it, which means “How beautiful” in French. The clip was also captioned, the English translation of which reads, “POV: The bridge between Arts and Aya Nakamura.”
Nakamura also faced criticism last Friday after she performed in front of Academie Francaise, the French language institution in Paris along with the military band of the Republican Guard.
Exploring Thomas Jolly’s involvement in the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony
French actor and theater director Thomas Jolly choreographed the widely debated song and dance sequence at the 2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony that happened in Paris on July 26.
The portrayal was deemed as the parody of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper where Jesus Christ had his last meal with twelve apostles, the day before his crucifixion.
The performance received backlash from people of the Christian community worldwide. In the wake of this, Thomas Jolly told the Paris-based news station BFMTV on July 28 that the historical Renaissance artwork was “not my inspiration” behind the Olympics inaugural act.
He also claimed that it was inspired by Greek mythology and Dionysus, the God of celebration, wine-making, and festivity. He also mentioned that ‘Festivity’ was the name of the tableau, explaining that Dionysus was the father of Sequana, the Goddess of the River Seine.
“The idea was to depict a big pagan celebration, linked to the gods of Olympus, and thus the Olympics… You will never find in me, or in my work, a desire to mock or denigrate anyone,” the artistic director added.
Thomas Jolly also shared that his aim was to “create a ceremony” that not just “heals” and “reconciles,” but also “reaffirms the values” of the French culture, including liberty, equality, and fraternity. He stated that he hoped that his work would not create any division among the people.
Before his interview with BFMTV, Thomas Jolly also offered a clarification during the daily briefing of the International Olympics Committee on July 27 saying that he had no intention “to be subversive, mock or shock” the viewers, but rather to portray the French diversity.
