French President Emmanuel Macron, 46, shared an intimate kiss with his sports minister during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics on Friday which has since become the talk of the town. The photo shows Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, 46, kissing Macron’s neck with one hand wrapped around his neck. Her other arm grips the French president’s arm. The picture also shows French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal appearing to avert his gaze.
Take a look at the controversial photo below:
Photos of the intimate kiss have collected over 4 million views on the social media platform X.
(Also read: Why was there a semi-naked blue man at Paris Olympics opening ceremony?)
The kiss raised eyebrows even in France, where kissing is often a common form of greeting. Many social media users said it stretched the boundaries of polite pecks and veered into “indecent” territory.
{{/usCountry}}The kiss raised eyebrows even in France, where kissing is often a common form of greeting. Many social media users said it stretched the boundaries of polite pecks and veered into “indecent” territory.
{{/usCountry}}“It’s my lover that I’m kissing like this. Embarrassing,” wrote one person, according to the New York Post.
“I find this photo indecent, it’s not worthy of a president and a minister,” another said.
“Amélie Oudéa-Castéra greedily kissing Macron. At least one who loves her boss, that's nice to see,” one social media user joked.
Some made memes imagining how Macron’s wife, Brigitte Macron, would react to the kiss.
The picture was first highlighted by French magazine Madame Figaro. The magazine called Oudéa-Castéra someone who "certainly knows how to get people talking about her."
The Paris Olympics 2024 kicked off last week. Friday’s Olympics opening ceremony was historic in being the first opening ceremony to be held outside a stadium. The Parade of Nations saw Olympic teams floating down the Seine. Pop icon Lady Gaga, metal band Gojiu, Celin Dion and Aya Nakamura performed during the opening ceremony, which was attended by world leaders, international businessmen, celebrities, athletes and more.