Many people were all left saying the same thing after Schneider’s outburst online.
And no, it wasn’t that The Last Supper had 13 attendees, Jesus and his 12 disciples, not the 18 people in the performance.
Many people took to social media to point out that it’s pretty rich for Schneider to criticise drag artists as he has frequently been in drag throughout his career.
One person pointed out the movie The Hot Chick in which Schneider played a small time criminal who swaps bodies with a woman.
Others highlighted when Schneider appeared on a talk show wearing a black dress and a blonde wig.
One wrote: “Half of @RobSchneider’s career has been him in (sh*tty) drag… so I’m not sure why he’s suddenly taking issue with it.
“Is it because they’re better at it or because he’s not getting money from it anymore?”
A second joked: “What event was he supposed to be in?” while a third posted ‘this you?’ with a promotional image from Schneider’s movie The Hot Chick.
Organisers at the Olympics explained that the performance was not a depiction of the Last Supper, but of a scene from Ancient Greek mythology.
Dutch art historian Walther Schoonenberg agreed with this, tweeting: “The tableau vivant or ‘living painting’ in the opening ceremony of Paris 2024 was of The Feast of the Gods, by Jan van Bijlert from 1635.”
He included an image of the painting he was referring to, which is held in the Musée Magnin in France.
Thomas Jolly, the ceremony’s artistic director, told French news outlet BFM: “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. I wanted a ceremony that brings people together, that reconciles, but also a ceremony that affirms our Republican values of liberty, equality and fraternity.”
