The Last Supper or Feast of Dionysus: What did the Paris Olympics opening ceremony's 'drag queen' act resemble?

The Paris Olympics 2024 opening ceremony went all well until a dinner plate was lifted showing a naked person singing in French, accompanied by dancers, and drag queens in the background. The act received widespread criticism on the internet, forcing the Olympic organizers to delete the video of the scene.

The Olympics' official account shared pictures from the act on X (formerly Twitter), claiming that it was an interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus (the god of wine and festivity). It was also stated that the act's goal was to raise awareness of interpersonal violence.

"The interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus makes us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings," they wrote.

However, the act received widespread criticism across the globe, particularly from the Christian community, which claimed that it appeared to parody Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘The Last Supper’ painting.

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What did the Paris Olympics ceremony's drag queen act resemble?

Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony ( Source: Getty)

While The Last Supper is largely associated with Leonardo da Vinci’s painting, it is believed to be the last meal Jesus Christ shared with his 12 apostles before the crucifixion.

"This is crazy. Opening your event by replacing Jesus and the disciples at the The Last Supper with men in drag. There are 2.4 billion Christians on earth and apparently the Olympics wanted to declare loudly to all of them, right out of the gate. NOT WELCOME," a user wrote.

Although the Paris Olympics opening ceremony act did have some resemblance with the painting, there were many differences as well. The drag queens, children, and other people in the act were believed to be representing the 12 apostles of Christ. However, their number was more than 12 in the Paris Olympics' opening ceremony act which is a key differentiator.

Another point of contention in the act was the inclusion of a naked individual portrayed by French entertainer Philippe Katerine. Given the act's similarities to 'The Last Supper', this element was perceived by many as a disrespectful portrayal of Jesus Christ.

However, according to the director of the opening ceremony, Thomas Jolly, it represented Greek God Dionysus.

“There is Dionysus who arrives on this table. He is there because he is the God of celebration in Greek mythology. The idea was to have a pagan celebration connected to the gods of Olympus. You will never find in me a desire to mock and denigrate anyone," he said via TODAY.

In response to the controversy, a St. Paul UMC pastor wrote:

'It wasn't the Last Supper, which is housed in Italy, not France. it was the Feast of Dionysus."

Amidst circulating claims and theories about the controversy online, Anne Descamps, spokesperson for the Paris Olympics 2024, tried to quell the uproar by offering an apology.

“Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. On the contrary, I think that (artistic director) Thomas Jolly really tried to celebrate community tolerance. We believe that this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offense, we are really sorry,” Paris 2024 spokesperson Anne Descamps said at a press conference.