{"id":2315756,"date":"2024-07-29T22:08:10","date_gmt":"2024-07-30T02:08:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/paris-olympics-scores-big-initial-ratings-despite-boycott-olympics-threats-over-drag-last-supper-parody-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-07-29T22:10:33","modified_gmt":"2024-07-30T02:10:33","slug":"paris-olympics-scores-big-initial-ratings-despite-boycott-olympics-threats-over-drag-last-supper-parody-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/paris-olympics-scores-big-initial-ratings-despite-boycott-olympics-threats-over-drag-last-supper-parody-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Paris Olympics scores big initial ratings despite \u2018Boycott Olympics\u2019 threats over drag Last Supper parody &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">36<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fparis-olympics-scores-big-initial-ratings-despite-boycott-olympics-threats-over-drag-last-supper-parody-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2315756&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The 2024 Paris\u200c Olympics experienced a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/grammy-awards-see-huge-bump-in-viewership-for-first-time-since-pandemic\/\" title=\"Grammy Awards experience significant viewership surge post-pandemic\">significant viewership surge<\/a>, drawing \u200can average of \u200c34.5 million viewers over its first three days, \u2062following an opening\u200d ceremony that attracted 28.6\u2064 million viewers. This event faced backlash \u2063for its controversial portrayal of &#8220;The Last Supper&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/muppet-babies-reintroduces-male-character-as-transgender-princess\/\" title=\"\u2018Muppet Babies\u2019 Reintroduces Male Character As Transgender Princess\">featuring drag queens<\/a>, which led to accusations of disrespecting religious\u2064 sentiments. In response to the outrage, Olympics spokeswoman Anne Descamps expressed regret for any offense \u200dcaused, emphasizing that\u2063 there \u200bwas no intention to disrespect \u200bany \u2063religious group. The performance\u2064 was\u2062 intended to celebrate myths, depicting Dionysus and other gods at a banquet inspired by a different artwork. However, the \u200cimagery sparked \u200dcalls for a boycott \u200cof \u200dthe Olympics, trending\u200c significantly across social media platforms.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Paris Olympics scores big initial ratings despite &lsquo;Boycott Olympics&rsquo; threats over drag Last Supper parody<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1716796\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>During the first three full days of the 2024 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/paris\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Paris\">Paris<\/a> Olympics, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/nbc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"NBCU\">NBCU<\/a> scored an average of 34.5 million viewers across television networks and digital platforms.<\/p>\n<p>These viewership numbers came after 28.6 million viewers tuned into Friday night&rsquo;s opening ceremony that drew sharp criticism for<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/3101626\/republicans-are-not-happy-about-last-supper-portrayal-at-the-olympics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> featuring drag queens in a parody of Leonardo da Vinci&rsquo;s <em>The Last Supper. <\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Organizers of the Paris <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/olympics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Olympics\">Olympics<\/a> apologized to outraged viewers who were offended by a scantily clad blue man singing while wearing a headdress of fruit alongside an ample woman playing the role of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jesus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Jesus<\/a> and drag queen dancers as the disciples.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony receives major backlash from Last Supper parody<\/p>\n<p>READ: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/wOtw8SV2Ye\">https:\/\/t.co\/wOtw8SV2Ye<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Olympics2024?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Olympics2024<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Olympics?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Olympics<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/ParisOlympics2024?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#ParisOlympics2024<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/LastSupper?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#LastSupper<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/News?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#News<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Viralvideo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Viralvideo<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/ViralVideos?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#ViralVideos<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Explore?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Explore<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Explorepage?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Explorepage<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/jTsjGSrznf\">pic.twitter.com\/jTsjGSrznf<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/dcexaminer\/status\/1818043830417145876?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 29, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;Clearly there was never an intention to show disrespect to any religious group,&rdquo; Olympics spokeswoman Anne Descamps <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Z5LCqS-a0mY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"told reporters\">told reporters<\/a> in a press conference on Sunday. &ldquo;If people have taken any offense we are, of course, really, really sorry.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The performance was reportedly meant to depict Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, and an assembly of Greek gods on Mount Olympus for a banquet in the painting <em>The Feast of the Gods<\/em> by Dutch artist Jan Harmensz van Biljert.<\/p>\n<p>However, calls for &ldquo;Boycott Olympics&rdquo; spread when viewers saw what many deemed to be an offensive religious depiction. Thousands of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-furious-ca-restaurant-owner-confronts-inspectors-issuing-citation-are-you-gonna-pay-my-rent\/\" title=\"WATCH: Furious CA Restaurant Owner Confronts Inspectors Issuing Citation: \u2018Are You Gonna Pay My Rent?\u2019\">social media users<\/a> used the hashtag #boycottOlympics that began trending on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.<\/p>\n<p>Actress Candace Cameron Bure, fitness personality Jillian Michaels, Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, tech billionaire Elon Musk, and comedian Rob Schneider called the opening performance <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3102193\/candace-cameron-bure-jillian-michaels-join-2024-olympics-opening-ceremony-critics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"disgusting and disrespectful\">disgusting and disrespectful<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Simone Biles, of United States, competes on the floor exercise during a women&rsquo;s artistic gymnastics qualification round at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Sunday, July 28, 2024, in Paris. (AP Photo\/Charlie Riedel)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Despite protests on social media, the first three days of the Paris Olympics viewership was up 79 percent from that of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, according to ratings data. The telecasts on Saturday drew an audience of 32.4 million, and on Sunday, the audience grew even larger to 41.5 million people.<\/p>\n<p>Warner Bros. Discovery&rsquo;s Max saw <a href=\"https:\/\/variety.com\/2024\/tv\/global\/olympics-streaming-audiencemax-discovery-plus-europe-1236088910\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>record setting viewership<\/a> in Europe with almost 1 billion streaming minutes across the continent.<\/p>\n<p> <script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1716796\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1716796\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 2024 Paris Olympics achieved impressive initial ratings, averaging 34.5 million viewers across NBCU&#8217;s television networks and digital platforms during the first three full days. This viewership followed the opening ceremony on Friday night, which attracted 28.6 million viewers but faced significant backlash for including drag queens in a parody of Leonardo da Vinci\u2019s The Last Supper. Organizers issued an apology to those offended by a performance featuring a scantily clad blue man with a fruit headdress, alongside a woman portraying Jesus and drag queen dancers as disciples.<\/p>\n<p>Olympics spokeswoman Anne Descamps stated at a press conference that there was no intention to disrespect any religious group and expressed regret for any offense caused. The performance aimed to represent Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, along with other Greek deities at a banquet inspired by Jan Harmensz van Biljert&#8217;s painting &#8220;The Feast of the Gods.&#8221; However, many viewers found it offensive, leading to calls for a &#8220;Boycott Olympics,&#8221; which gained traction on social media under the hashtag #boycottOlympics. Notable figures such as actress Candace Cameron Bure and tech billionaire Elon Musk criticized the performance as distasteful.<\/p>\n<p>Despite this controversy, viewership during the first three days was up 79% compared to the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. Ratings data showed that Saturday&#8217;s broadcasts attracted an audience of 32.4 million, while Sunday saw an increase to 41.5 million viewers. Additionally, Warner Bros. Discovery\u2019s Max platform recorded nearly one billion streaming minutes across Europe during this period<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2678,"featured_media":2315757,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/AP24210433965278.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[36594,36595,36593,36535,34824],"class_list":["post-2315756","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-boycott-olympics","tag-drag-performance","tag-initial-ratings","tag-last-supper-parody","tag-paris-olympics"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/AP24210433965278.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2315756","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2678"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2315756"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2315756\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315757"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2315756"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2315756"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2315756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}