Jean-Pierre Pernaut, who died on March 2, 2022, had a beautiful and long career behind him. But for many viewers, he is and will remain the key figure on TF1’s 1 p.m. newscast. A position for which he had a more than comfortable salary according to rumors.
Nathalie Marquay’s husband’s career as a journalist began in the 1970s. He made his first television appearance in Nord Picardie Actualités. And, after joining the Picardy regional editorial office of the ORTF where he presented the regional newspaper, he joined the TF1 group in 1975. Jean-Pierre Pernaut first presented the 20 hours newspaper, until 1978. He was then co-presenter of the 1 p.m. newspaper alongside Yves Mourousi until 1980, then was appointed senior reporter in the economic department until 1982. And, after other experiences within the first channel, he s was installed on the headquarters of the 13-hour newscast from 1988. It will remain there until 2020 and the success was there. His outspokenness and his desire to highlight the regions hit the bull’s eye with the public, many of whom did not miss this televised event. A position for which he was, unsurprisingly, handsomely paid.
In December 2019, the team of Do not touch My TV became interested in the salary of the late presenter. He would have received close to 50,000 euros per month for his work at TF1. An income which would be much higher than that of his colleagues in the public service but on which he never spoke. This allowed Jean-Pierre Pernaut to live comfortably in his house in Louveciennes, in the Yvelines, with his wife Nathalie Marquay and their children Lou and Tom (born in 2002 and 2003). He also has a second home in the Var, where he liked to relax with his family.
During an interview for Jordan De Luxe dating from 2019, the JT joker since 1998 had not hesitated to reveal his salary. “I get paid by the newspaper. A newspaper is not far from 2000 euros”, he confided. Marie-Sophie Lacarrau, who took the place of Jean-Pierre Pernaut in January 2021, did not expand on the subject. But, during an interview for SHE, she made it clear that she had not negotiated the same salary as her predecessor. “When I said yes to this incredible challenge, I didn’t even think about the salary. I was told after how much I would win, I was very happy, end of the deal“, she remembered.