Opening ceremonies have always set the tone for the Olympic Games, just think Queen Elizabeth’s skyfall from a helicopter with  Daniel Craig’s James Bond, Muhammad Ali and Cathy Freeman lighting the cauldron, or the 2008 drums in Beijing.

With heavy rain on the River Seine parade and a four-hour “intermittent made-for-television” broadcast, the Paris Olympics opening ceremony on July 26 was problematic from the start.

But it was one tableau, described by official US broadcaster NBC as an “unabashed display of French camp” evoking Leonardo Da Vinci’s The Last Supper, that might go down in history for infuriating Catholics, Christian groups, Hollywood conservatives and US politicians.

Criticised for being a Last Supper parody, it began with a fashion show with DJ and producer Barbara Butch, an LGBTQ+ icon, depicted as Jesus Christ behind a long table.

Then a near-naked French singer Philippe Katerine portraying the Greek God of Wine, Dionysus, appeared under a giant silver cloche, laying on a fruit platter with the cast of drag queens and transgender models behind them.

One of 12 tableaux, the so-called “drag skit’ backfired.

Some of the two-billion plus audience were outraged, with one actor announcing he won’t be watching.

Emmy-winning actor and stand-up comedian, Rob Schneider, 60, known for Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo and 50 First Dates, said he’d be boycotting the Games.

“I am sorry to say to all the world’s greatest athletes, I wish you all the best, but I cannot watch an Olympics that disrespects Christianity and openly celebrates Satan.

“I sincerely hope these Olympics get the same amount of viewers as CSPAN [public affairs cable TV network].”

He added: ” … guys with their genitalia hanging out in front of children?! Drag Queens?! I wasn’t sure if I was watching the Olympics or if I was watching a school board meeting…”.

Full House‘s Candace Cameron Bure was “disgusted”, and Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker – notorious for a homophobic and sexist commencement speech, said “God is not mocked”.

Over the weekend, the global backlash escalated with a US telecommunications sponsor, C Spire, pulling out.

“We were shocked by the mockery of the Last Supper during the opening ceremonies of the Paris Olympics. C Spire will be pulling our advertising from the Olympics,” it wrote on X.

The French Bishops’ Episcopal Conference said that while there were “moments of beauty, joy, rich emotions and universal acclaim,” it “included scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity, which we deeply deplore,” according to the Vatican news website.

“We think of all Christians worldwide who were hurt by the excess and provocation of certain scenes,” the French Bishops wrote.

“We hope they understand that the Olympic celebration extends far beyond the ideological biases of a few artists”.

Pushing boundaries

Organisers of the kitsch, riverside spectacle defended their six-kilometre open-air opening ceremony.

“Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group. [The opening ceremony] tried to celebrate community tolerance,” spokesperson Anne Descamps said.

“We believe this ambition was achieved. If people have taken any offence we are really sorry.”

Artistic director Thomas Jolly saw the moment as a celebration of diversity, and the table on which Butch spun her tunes as a tribute to feasting and French gastronomy, reported AP at a post-ceremony press conference.

“My wish isn’t to be subversive, nor to mock or to shock,” he said, denying that The Last Supper segment even served as a reference and that his idea was to “have a grand pagan festival”.

“It was pretty clear, it is Dionysus who arrives at the table,” Jolly added.

“Why is he there? Because Dionysus is the Greek god of festivities (…) and wine, and is the father of Sequana, the goddess of the Seine River.”

Despite explanations, the backlash continued, with Italy’s far-right leader Matteo Salvini describing the segment as “squalid,” according to Variety, and speaker of the US House of Representatives Mike Johnson describing a “mockery of the ‘Last Supper'”.

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‘We may be winging it’ – The broadcast

Meanwhile, fans who stayed up until 3am on Saturday to watch the opening ceremony were less than impressed with Nine’s exclusive coverage.

According to advertising and marketing website B&T, Nine’s broadcast of the opening ceremony reached 2.2 million Australians (compared to the first day of competition which reached 9.4 million).

It paid $305 million for the rights from Seven in a deal which will include Brisbane in 2032, says MediaWeek.

Hosted by Karl Stefanovic (Today), Ally Langdon (A Current Affair) and Todd Woodbridge (Tipping Point), viewers complained about everything from the rain and the lack of subtitles and knowledge about players and performers, to Stefanovic’s ill-informed and “woeful” commentary.

In a pre-broadcast post, the three hovered under a tarp and complained about the rain, with Woodbridge saying “we may be winging it”.