Organizers to Drop Controversial Gisele Skit from Olympics Opening Ceremony
Photo by Andrew Lipovsky / NBC
Don’t expect to see that controversial skit featuring Gisele Bündchen at the Olympics opening ceremony on Friday night.
According to the Washington Post, organizers plan to drop the segment from the program following the uproar over details about the scene, which leaked online earlier this week. Reports from Sunday’s dress rehearsal claimed that the skit included a simulated assault and robbery involving the supermodel.
Filmmaker Fernando Meirelles, who’s serving as the show’s creative director, refuted the report on the controversy in an email to the Post, calling it a “tremendous misunderstanding” that’s been overblown by the media.
“Imagine us doing a scene like that in the opening,” he said. “I’m not that clueless.”
Meirelles explained that the skit was actually a humorous scene about a food vendor who attempts to take a selfie with Gisele. Security guards end up chasing after the man to stop him from harassing the model, but Gisele decides to step in to stop them.
The creative director stated that the segment had nothing to do with a robbery or assault and just featured “three professional clowns.”
“It was a gag that was not funny so we cut it,” Meirelles said.
Controversy aside, Gisele seems pretty pumped about her trip back to her native country of Brazil for this year’s Olympics. She recently posted an Instagram photo of herself giving a heart symbol, accompanied by a caption detailing her excitement for the opening ceremony.
“As I walk down tonight on the longest runway I have ever been on I will be sending out all my love and positivity,” Gisele wrote. “I am humbled and honored to be part of this historic moment for my country. I believe that the unity is the key to creating a world filled with kindness, gratitude, peace, and love.”
