Internet erupts in outrage after Tom Cruise is forcefully kissed during Paris Olympics stunt

By Abby Amoakuh

Published Aug 13, 2024 at 01:12 PM

Reading time: 2 minutes

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Image courtesy of IMDb

You can take the man out of Mission: Impossible but not Mission: Impossible out of the man. At least that’s what it seemed like when Tom Cruise dramatically dove from the top of the Stade de France into a rowing crowd of fans, hopped on a motorbike with a blinding headlight, and casually rode out of the stadium holding the Olympic flag. Yes, I’m referring to the beloved actor’s appearance during the closing ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Yet, what went relatively unnoticed amid the visual spectacle was a moment in which an unidentifiable woman pressed a non-consensual kiss onto the Hollywood star’s lips. This incident has now sparked outrage online.

Multiple netizens posted the excerpt, where one fan, possibly an Olympian, grabbed Cruise and forcefully placed a peck near his lips.

While some of the responses jokingly applauded the stranger for “shooting her shot,” others regarded what transpired in a more critical light.

“And if it was a man doing that to a woman, he’d have been taken away from the stadium,” one fan wrote in outrage over the incident on X, formerly Twitter.

Someone else wrote: “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.”

Cruise’s response to the incident was described as gracious instead.

“I guess women are just that entitled, able to sexually assault men at will and it’s just ‘cute’ or something,” another X user wrote, agreeing with other netizens that the unwanted peck should be classified as sexual assault.

The instance seems to evoke memories of a public offence in September 2023, when former Spanish football federation president Luis Rubiales planted a firm kiss on the lips of player Jenni Hermoso, holding her head in a firm lock that made it harder for the footballer to reject the advance. The kiss caused a global outcry, sparking a heated debate about everyday misogyny and consent.

Hermoso testified in court to Rubiales’ kiss, which she described as a violation after she filed a criminal complaint of sexual assault and coercion.

Rubiales was forced to resign as the federation president and as a UEFA vice president on 10 September 2024, following mounting pressure from Spanish lawmakers and players.

No similar outrage seems to be in sight for the Cruise kiss which has visibly evaded public scrutiny. Yet, it has still resulted in some meaningful discourse around male victims of sexual assault and the importance of validating their experiences rather than ridiculing them.

Cruise’s stunt notably didn’t end at the Parisian stadium. A pre-recorded film showed the star driving past classic French landmarks like the Eiffel Tower before arriving at an airport.

After boarding his aircraft, Cruise could be seen skydiving out of the plane and later landing in Los Angeles near the famous Hollywood sign. It’s the location where the next Olympics will take place.