‘That’s harassment’: Internet reacts to Tom Cruise being forcibly kissed by woman at Paris Olympics closing ceremony

Tom Cruise Pic/AFP

The Paris Olympics 2024 ended with the closing ceremony at Stade de France. It was arranged to celebrate the completion of the sports spectacle and witnessed the hosts of the current edition, Paris, pass over the reigns to Los Angeles, the site of the next edition of the Olympic Games in 2028. Hollywood star Tom Cruise, who was also present at the event, was forcibly kissed by a woman at the venue, a video of which has gone viral.

Netizens have called it out, questioning the outrage if roles were reversed, and labelling it harassment.

One user on X wrote, "Pushy lady. People should not ever do what she did to anyone, celebrity or otherwise. You don't grab and kiss a person, especially a person you don't even know in any way, and twice, like that. It's very rude to force yourself onto them that way. Tom Cruise is so gracious."

"As usual, people making fun of it. Just imagine the outrage if the genders were reversed!" added another.

One user commented, "This is really not funny At All, people need to learn to keep their hands off celebrities."

At the closing ceremony, Tom Cruise channelled his inner Ethan Hunt, his iconic character from the blockbuster ‘Mission: Impossible' films with a daring skydiving stunt. The 62-year-old descended from the top of the gigantic Stade de France to the ‘Mission: Impossible' theme song, shook hands with the athletes on his way to the stage, took the Olympic flag from star gymnast Simone Biles, and carried it on a bike through Paris streets to a cargo plane ready to take off for Los Angeles.

Cruise, who shot his 2018 film "Mission: Impossible Fallout" in Paris, later on his official X account shared a selfie when he was in the air suspended from the safety cables above the stadium. "Thank you, Paris! Now off to LA," he captioned the photo.

In a pre-recorded segment after being lowered on a rope live from the roof's giddy heights, Cruise drove his bike past the Eiffel Tower, onto a plane, and then skydived over the Hollywood Hills. Three circles were added to the O's of the famed Hollywood sign to create five interlaced Olympic rings.

Multiple time zones away, Grammy winner Billie Eilish, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and rapper Snoop Dogg along with his longtime collaborator Dr. Dre took over to begin an evening of fun and music. Emmy Award-winning artist Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson, popularly known as H.E.R., sang the US national anthem live from the Parisian stadium, crammed with more than 70,000 people.

(With inputs from Agencies)