If you got a chance to plant one on Tom Cruise, would you take it? Or would you respect his boundaries?
That's the question that has been raised after a fan tried to kiss Cruise during his appearance at the Paris Olympics Closing Ceremony.
Cruise made quite the entrance, descending from the roof of the Stade de France on a Mission: Impossible-style wire to an adoring crowd below to officially accept the ceremonial flag for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Cruise was joined by fellow LA icons the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg and LA Mayor Karen Bass for the ceremony, along with acrobats and musicians.
But being arguably the biggest movie star in the world, Cruise was the main event—especially for one particularly eager woman in the crowd
As Cruise made his way through the throngs, the woman grabbed Cruise and planted an impromptu kiss on his cheek. And practically before it was even over, it sparked a debate on social media.
For some, it was just any other moment with one of Cruise's gazillions of fans.
But for others, the scene felt like a violation of Cruise's boundaries and autonomy, and the moment quickly turned into a discourse about consent—especially since if the roles had been reversed, it probably wouldn't have gone over so well.
For his part, Cruise seemed mostly unfazed, and quickly moved on with the rest of the spectacle, taking the Olympic flag from Bass and riding off on a motorcycle.
A film then showed him joyriding through Paris to an airport, where he boarded a plane and then skydived back into Los Angeles to hand the flag to American cyclist Kate Courtney. Thankfully, Courtney did not try to get fresh like the woman in Paris.
@phillytradesman/Bluesky
