On Monday, ABC’s The View attempted to brush off the religious mockery that happened during the 2024 Olympics opening ceremony in Paris, France on Friday. Following the drag show that seemed to ridicule The Last Supper painting, the hosts aimed towards focusing on the “history” of the Olympics and the athletes themselves.
The segment began with Whoopi Goldberg describing the “instant controversy over an opening number featuring drag performers that some people said was a blasphemous take on Da Vinci’s painting The Last Supper.” She tried to shrug off the religious controversy by explaining that the organizers apologized:
Now, organizers said, we're sorry, but, you know, the guy who actually put it all together said it was from the Feast of the Gods which is a 17th century Dutch painting of the Greek Olympian gods, you know, the Olympian gods because it's the Olympics.
Goldberg continued to complain that people need to stop accusing the drag queens of mocking The Last Supper because “they're not trying to do anything accept talk about the -- the history. They're showing you the history.”
Goldberg’s last astute observation was that it can’t be based off of The Last Supper was because “there are more too many people in the picture for it to be the 12 disciples and then the 7 or 8 other people who are in the picture. It’s just more people.”
But in reality, her suggestions made no sense since the stage set up didn’t resemble Feast of the Gods at all. There is a stronger resemblance to The Last Supper given the actors were all on one side of the table, and there were no satyrs which are centrally featured in Feast of the Gods.
Sarah Haines defended the offensive scene as she professed “the director said it wasn’t what he intended and he also said the mission was inclusion.” She continued to note that the director said he was sorry so we should all move on.
Haines, who has previously claimed that she wanted to be a minister went on a rant explaining why she gets so “frustrated” with religion:
Don't go – this -- I get so frustrated with religion. Don't go by the literal letter of the Bible. Go by the example of the word which is live with the grace. Live with the forgiveness. Live with -- I was frustrated. You answer and I'm okay with that. I get so tired of being beaten over the head with religious messages while someone walks along their life not living like Jesus at all, like, really understand the mission.
Ana Navarro did not want to talk about this religious mockery any longer as she stated “There are young people who train their entire lives to be there, to represent our countries. Can we please give them the focus?” She then went on to name several athletes at the Olympics and asked “Can we talk? Can we give some flowers?”
Ending on a confusing note, Navarro said that LeBron James and Coco Gauff “looked like George Washington.”
Alyssa Farah Griffin added “I’m sorry there’s nothing more Parisian than like Marie Antoinette's head cut off, metal music playing and then drag queens like that is – that is French that is what they’re going to do.” She went on to exclaim that “there is something for everyone if you didn’t like one thing tune in to something else.”
Goldberg concluded “If you are not happy with something, and it bothers you, don't take 20 hours to write an email. Just turn the TV off. Watch something else.” The View has been known previously to push the idea that “everybody belongs at a drag show!”
Click "Expand" to view the transcript:
ABC The View
7/29/24
11:16:44 - 11:21:03 AMWHOOPI GOLDBERG: So welcome back. Over the weekend, the Olympics kicked off Friday in Paris.
[Applause]
GOLDBERG: All right. But then there was instant controversy over an opening number featuring drag performers that some people said was a blasphemous take on Da Vinci's painting "The Last Supper." Now, organizers said, we're sorry, but, you know, the guy who actually put it all together said it was from the “Feast of the Gods” which is a 17th century Dutch painting of the Greek Olympian gods, you know, the Olympian gods because it's the Olympics. Okay. And there are many more people in the picture they're talking about here. There's people on the side, you know, and it's, like, come on, y'all. It's the Olympics. Stop. They're not trying to do anything accept talk about the -- the history. They're showing you the history.
There are more too many people in the picture for it to be the 12 disciples and then the 7 or 8 other people who are in the picture. It’s just more people.
SARAH HAINES: Well and also when you are criticizing religion and people were offended the director said it wasn’t what he intended and he also said the mission was inclusion. Intention matters. He came out and said, that wasn't what I intended. I'm sorry if that what offended you, and this is what I was trying to do. Don't go – this -- I get so frustrated with religion. Don't go by the literal letter of the Bible. Go by the example of the word which is live with the grace. Live with the forgiveness. Live with -- I was frustrated. You answer and I'm okay with that. I get so tired of being beaten over the head with religious messages while someone walks along their life not living like Jesus at all, like, really understand the mission.
ANA NAVARRO: If people go look at the original Greek Olympians and what they were doing in pictures, you're going to be even worse.
GOLDBERG: Well we can't even show the painting it's based on.
NAVARRO: But you know I – so I watched the whole opening ceremony. It was very long. It was, like, over three hours long. This was a very small part of it, and it's what's consumed so much of America, I guess, and I would say, you know, it happens every four years. There are young people who train their entire lives to be there, to represent our countries.
Can we please give them the focus? Can we please talk about Simone Biles, her magnificence? How she made the comeback? Can we talk about Suni Lee? This woman had the worst kidney disease and she made a comeback. Oh my God. Hazley Rivera, seventeen years old girl from New Jersey, Dominican descent. Can we talk? Can we give some flowers to – I want to give some flowers to Flavor Flav who decided to pay and sponsor and help the women's -- the U.S. Women's water polo team because they had no money to do this, and Lebron James and Coco Gauff. They looked like George Washington.
ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: Don’t forget Queen Celine Dion. She returned -- she performed at the '96 Olympics, and she had done -- she's been suffering from stiff person syndrome. She had said in an interview in April of 2024, ‘I hope I get to return to Paris’ so then to perform at the Olympics -- I wept. I was watching and I have to say I went to the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in 2018 in South Korea and got to see the opening ceremony. It is the coolest thing and they lean into their culture and you're meant to learn something. I’m sorry there’s nothing more Parisian than like Marie Antoinette's head cut off, metal music playing and then drag queens like that is – that is French that is what they’re going to do.
GOLDBERG: Yeah.
GRIFFIN: So enjoy it, celebratory -- there is something for everyone if you didn’t like one thing tune in to something else.
GOLDBERG: Yeah and that's what we hope for folks to think about doing. If you are not happy with something, and it bothers you, don't take 20 hours to write an email. Just turn the TV off. Watch something else. Put the newspaper down. Don't look at the pictures. These are choices, you know, we're back to this thing. These are our choices. You have the ability. Forget what Instagram is telling you. If you don't like it, go to something else. You don't have to stay. You have it in your power to make the change, just like they're doing with me right now. We will be right back.
