Heavy/Getty Kelly Clarkson and Celine Dion were both at the Eiffel Tower on July 26, 2024, for the Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Though the 2024 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony on July 26 was full of heart-swelling moments in Paris, first-time NBC commentator and “American Idol” alum Kelly Clarkson struggled “to hold it together” at its conclusion.
After 10,000 athletes arrived via boats on the Seine River and French President Emmanuel Macron proclaimed the Games officially open, world-renowned singer Céline Dion, 56, staged a powerful comeback after spending several years out of the spotlight, sidelined by a rare and debilitating diagnosis of Stiff-Person’s Syndrome, which she announced in 2022, per USA Today.
Clarkson, who hosted the Opening Ceremony for NBC alongside NFL great Peyton Manning and NBC sportscaster Mike Tirico, was choked up and nearly speechless after Dion’s performance of Edith Piaf’s “L’Hymne à L’Amour” (“Hymn to Love”) and still struggled to keep her composure after a commercial break.
“To have that moment,” Clarkson said, choking back tears off-camera immediately after the performance. “She’s a vocal athlete. She’s incredible.”
Clarkson wasn’t the only one stunned by Dion’s performance. Social media lit up as soon as she finished her performance, with accolades rolling in from dignitaries to everyday fans.
After Céline Dion’s Performance, Clarkson Said She ‘Was Not Ready for That Ending’
Standing next to a rain-drenched piano on a platform beneath the Eiffel Tower and a giant Olympics logo, Dion hit her high notes — a feat she struggled to achieve when her 2024 documentary, “I Am,” was filmed. The French Canadian singer allowed cameras to follow her daily life after she stopped performing and focused on treating her rare neurological disorder that first began giving her issues 17 years ago, per Deadline.
The condition not only kept her from performing, but from singing at all. After attempting to sing in a recording studio at one point in the film, she was distraught about how she sounded and wound up having a seizure on-camera. Though she insisted in the movie that she would one day return to the stage, doing so in front of the world at the Opening Ceremony was especially courageous, Clarkson told viewers.
“I actually can’t talk,” the Grammy winner shakily told Peyton and Tirico after Dion’s performance. “So beautiful. People who don’t know her story, what she’s been going through physically, it’s just incredible what she’s overcome.”
According to the National Institute on Neurological Disorders and Health, Stiff-Person Syndrome is a progressive disorder that causes stiff muscles in the torso, arms, and legs, and muscle spasms can be set off by noise, touch and emotional distress. In a sit-down interview with NBC’s Hoda Kotb in June, Dion said that for her, it “feels like somebody is strangling you.”
After a commercial break, NBC rejoined Tirico, Peyton and Clarkson, who also hosts “The Kelly Clarkson Show” for the network.
“I’ve been inspired, I’ve been dancing, but I was not ready for that ending,” she told them and then referenced how emotional Dion’s performance made her. “I’m sorry, you looked at me and I was like, ‘Wait!'”
“If you know anything just about Céline right now, she feels like, this is her purpose,” Clarkson continued, and then had to stop because she got choked up again.
Giving Clarkson a moment, Tirico interjected, “Singing is her purpose, right? Céline Dion.”
“Yeah, and if you know anything about what she’s going through right now,” Clarkson said, still tearing up. “I’m sorry, I’m trying to hold it together. But that she got through that? That was incredible. And in my field, she is the gold winner for vocal athletes. Like, she’s incredible.”
“But the whole night has been beautiful despite the rain,” Clarkson added, saying she thought the weather made the evening particularly “magical.”
Fans Gobsmacked by Celine Dion’s Powerful Paris Olympics Performance
IOC via Getty ImagesSinger Celine Dion performs on the Eiffel Tower during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games Paris 2024 on July 26, 2024
Dion’s comeback performance was a well-kept secret until TMZ first reported on July 23 that she was scheduled to perform at the Opening Ceremony along with Lady Gaga.
Though both music superstars did perform, they didn’t do so together. Lady Gaga kicked off the night performing her rendition of Zizi Jeanmaire’s “Mon Truc En Plumes,” standing on a set of stairs along the Seine River, per NBC, while Dion performed on a stage beneath the Eiffel Tower.
Fans around the world, including celebrities and dignitaries, immediately flooded social media with reactions to Dion’s triumphant return as the live broadcast of the Opening Ceremony ended.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted, “A proud Quebecer from Charlemagne is on stage at the Opening Ceremony! @celinedion is a Canadian icon, an incredible talent, and she overcame a lot to be there tonight. Céline, it’s great to see you singing again.”
CBC reporter Devin Heroux tweeted, “It’s been a rough couple of days for Canada. Especially with the fires in Jasper. Tonight Céline Dion made us proud. And reminded us of resilience and bravery and so many values we hold as Canadians.”
One viewer tweeted that it was “the comeback of the century. I cannot explain the shivers that ran up my spine while hearing Celine sing. I’m in tears!”
Fans also flooded Dion’s most recent Instagram post, with a photo of her taking pictures with fans in Paris.
One wrote, “That was INSANE!!!!!!! What!!!! Omg, Celine Dion. I can’t believe what I just heard 😭 you are beyond incredible ❤️🔥”
Another commented, “WARRIOR!!! You’re made of something different, madame. So so happy for you!”
On YouTube, a brief video of Dion’s performance attracted comments from hundreds of viewers within an hour, including one who wrote, “What a special moment .️.. She said she would sing again and she did it!!! The faith and strength of Celine was already legendary, but if she never does another thing… This is an incredible example of her being one of the most inspiring human beings to ever live. Just wow!!!”
Dion’s performance will be part of NBC’s rebroadcast of the Opening Ceremony, with additional content, on July 26 in the U.S. starting at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time.