Candace Cameron Bure is doubling down on her outrage over the drag performance during the Olympics opening ceremony, hitting back at those who say it wasn’t meant to be a re-creation of “The Last Supper” but an interpretation of the festival of the Greek god Dionysus.
“(Dionysus) is a god of lust, insanity, religious ecstasy, ritual madness (and) I still don’t see how that relates to unifying the world through competitive sports and is acceptable for children to watch,” the “Full House” alum complained Sunday, in a caption for an earlier Instagram post. “In any case, I’m not buying it.”
The day before, Cameron Bure launched a rant against the Paris games production, objecting to the way it appeared to be inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s depiction of Jesus’ Last Supper. The presence of drag performers in the Last Supper tableau also incensed church leaders, conservative politicians and other celebrities, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, who all viewed it as a “mockery” of Christianity.
The performance, broadcast during Friday’s opening ceremony, appeared to combine da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” with Dionysian revelry, according to the Washington Post. It presented a woman with a halo-like crown in the role of Jesus, with drag queens on either side of her, apparently portraying disciples. To critics, the imagery clearly drew from da Vinci’s “The Last Supper,” which depicts the New Testament scene of Jesus sharing bread and wine with his disciples the night before his crucifixion.
But this tableau soon shifted, as a giant cloche lifted to reveal a man, nearly naked and painted blue, on a dinner plate surrounded by fruit, the New York Times reported. This was Dionysus, who broke into song as the drag performers danced behind him.
Shortly after the performance, the Olympics posted photos of the blue man on X, the Washington Post said. “The interpretation of the Greek God Dionysus makes us aware of the absurdity of violence between human beings,” the post said.
Opening Ceremonies choreographer Thomas Jolly explained the Dionysian inspiration to the Paris-based BFM network on Sunday, saying, “The idea was to do a big pagan party linked to the gods of Olympus. You’ll never find in my work any desire to mock or denigrate anyone.”
But Olympics organizers also acknowledged that Jolly “took inspiration” from da Vinci’s painting and noted that many artists have done so in the past, according to The Wrap. “Clearly, there was never an intention to show disrespect towards any religious group or belief,” Paris 2024 producers said in a statement. “(Jolly) is not the first artist to make a reference to what is a world-famous work of art. From Andy Warhol to ‘The Simpsons,’ many have done it before him.”
At a daily press conference Sunday, Olympics organizers apologized for anyone who took offense, the Washington Post reported.
“Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group,” spokeswoman Anne Descamps told reporters. “If people have taken any offense we are, of course, really, really sorry.”
Cameron Bure said she was both angry and disheartened to think that the producers of the opening ceremony were “mocking” her religion.
“It made me so sad and someone said, ‘You shouldn’t be sad. You should be mad about it,’” Cameron Bure said. “I’m like, ‘Trust me, it makes me mad, but I’m more sad because I’m sad for souls.’ I pray for my heart to break over what breaks God’s heart and I just think about all the people that have rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ or don’t know the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Cameron Bure then quoted the book of Galatians, saying, “God is not mocked for whatever a person sows he will also reap because the one who sows … will reap destruction from the flesh.’”
The actor and producer had earlier said that she loved the Olympic Games, noting that her husband, Val Bure, is a two-time Olympic medalist in ice hockey. Her brother- and father-in-law also are Olympic medalists. “I have many friends that have competed in Games over the years and it’s something as a kid I have always loved,” she said. “The Olympic Games have always brought me so much joy.”
Cameron Bure said she was reluctant to weigh in publicly on the opening ceremony controversy because she knew she’d become “a headline.” But she felt it was “too important,” and she couldn’t stay quiet.
Indeed, this isn’t the first time that Cameron Bure has shared her conservative religious views on a hot topic in the culture wars — and faced backlash. In 2022, media personality JoJo Siwa called her out for being “rude and hurtful” to the LGBTQIA+ community after she advocated for keeping “traditional marriage” on screen, Page Six reported.
Siwa’s comments came after Cameron Bure ended her longtime professional association with the Hallmark Channel and joined the Great American Family network as an actor, producer and executive, telling the Wall Street Journal at the time that she wanted to work on projects that “will keep traditional marriage at the core.” Earlier in 2022, Hallmark had announced plans to show a more diverse lineup, including movies with LGBTQIA+ leads.
