Tom Cruise Carries Flag from Paris to LA at Olympics Closing Ceremony

Last week’s exciting revelation that Tom Cruise would perform a stunt for the closing ceremony of this year’s Olympic Games was confirmed today. The legendary actor rappelled into Stade de France to retrieve the Olympic Flag, creating a memorable finale.

The sequence began with Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Team USA gold medalist Simone Biles accepting the flag from the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo.

Right after Mayor Bass received the flag, musical artist H.E.R. delivered a jazzy, rock-and-roll-inspired rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner. As she played, the broadcast transitioned to a shot of Tom Cruise atop Stade de France. Cruise then rappelled down into the stadium through a cheering crowd, joined Mayor Bass and Biles on stage, and took the flag.

Cruise exited the stadium on a motorcycle, seamlessly transitioning to a prerecorded segment in which he drove through Paris, took off in a carrier plane, and flew halfway across the world to California.

Upon arriving in Los Angeles, Cruise skydived out of the plane holding the Olympic flag and landed near the iconic Hollywood sign. He then altered the sign so the OOs in “WOOD” appeared as the Olympic rings. An Olympic cyclist collected the flag from Cruise and biked through the city, passing it to various Olympians. The sequence concluded at Venice Beach with the Red Hot Chili Peppers waiting to perform.

The musical acts did not end there. Billie Eilish took the stage after the Red Hot Chili Peppers, followed by Paris Olympics staple Snoop Dogg who rapped alongside Dr. Dre on his home turf.

Cruise has been a noticeable presence throughout the Paris Olympics, recently attending the Women’s Soccer Finals where Team USA secured another gold medal, their first since the 2012 games in London. Other Hollywood stars hinted at the grandeur expected for LA 2028 by contributing to this summer’s games.

Steven Spielberg appeared in a special introduction welcoming viewers to the games, while Beyoncé participated in a music video to energize Team USA. Additionally, performances from Lady Gaga and Celine Dion brought joy to the streets of Paris during the opening ceremony.

Aside from Cruise’s exhilarating stunt, the closing ceremony featured performances by French band Phoenix and Belgian singer Angele. Ezra Koenig from Vampire Weekend also joined Phoenix to perform “Tonight.”