“Full House” alums Jodie Sweetin and Candace Cameron Bure are at odds over a scene from the 2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony that utilized drag performers.
The moment on Friday featured a cast of drag performers and dancers spread out over a table, which was meant to represent a Pagan celebration of Greek god Dionysus, although many interpreted it as a reference to Leonardo Da Vinci’s religious painting “The Last Supper.” Portrayed at the Olympics by French singer and actor Philippe Katerine, Dionysus – known to the Romans as Bacchus – has a close tie to France: In Greek mythology, he is the father of Sequana, the goddess of the River Seine.
“Tell me you don’t know about art or history without TELLING me you don’t know about art or history,” Sweetin wrote on her Instagram story Monday.
She coupled her comments with a video from social media creator Walter Masterson explaining the connection between Dionysis, France and the Greek origins of the Olympics.
Sweetin’s post comes a day after her former co-star Bure shared an impassioned critic of the opening ceremony scene, saying it “completely blasphemed and mock(ed) the Christian faith with their interpretation of ‘The Last Supper’ was disgusting.”
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“It makes me mad, but I’m more sad. Because I’m sad for souls,” Bure continued.
The 48-year-old actor added that although people have tried to “correct” her on her interpretation, she’s “not buying it.”
“I still don’t see how (Dionysus) relates to unifying the world through competitive sports and (is) acceptable for children to watch,” she wrote in the caption.
While the Olympic ceremony performance could be said to depict one such celebration, some have even said the scene was reminiscent of not just Da Vinci’s work, but other works as well.
Among them is “The Feast of the Gods,” a 17th century painting from Dutch artist Jan van Bijlert depicting the Greek gods of Olympus crowded around a long table. At the center of the table is the sun god Apollo, recognizable by a halo of light around his head.
Did the Olympics mock the Last Supper?Explaining Dionysus and why Christians are angry
DJ files complaint after death threats following Olympics opening ceremony scene
French DJ and producer Barbara Butch, who performed at the Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony, filed complaints against people who have harassed and threatened her since then, she said on Monday.
“(Since the ceremony) she has been threatened with death, torture, and rape, and has also been the target of numerous antisemitic, homophobic, sexist and fat-phobic insults,” her lawyer said in a statement Butch posted on her Instagram account.
Butch therefore had filed several complaints against both French nationals and people outside of France, lawyer Audrey Msellati added. The targets of the complaints were not named in the statement.
During the Olympics opening ceremony, Butch was part of a kitsch tableau featuring drag queens. The tableau sparked fury among the Catholic church and far-right politicians, prompting Paris 2024 organizers to apologize on Sunday to Catholics and other Christian groups.
Thomas Jolly, the artistic director behind the ceremony, said the scene had not been inspired by “The Last Supper” but instead depicted a pagan feast linked to the gods of Olympus.
