In the 1990s, Elie Semoun and Dieudonné M’bala M’bala, high school friends, formed the comic duo, Elie and Dieudonné. They then embodied the new generation of comedians and enjoyed phenomenal success thanks to their sketches performed between 1991 and 1997. The year in which they separated following artistic and financial disputes.
guest of 50 minutes Inside this Saturday July 9, 2022 on TF1, Elie Semoun returned to the highlights of his career and in particular to the cult duo he formed with Dieudonné. “That’s how I was known with Dieudo. We were a symbol of anti-racism par excellence. We came from the suburbs. And then something went wrong. I find it a pity“, said the 58-year-old comedian to Nikos Aliagas. For the record, Dieudonné M’bala M’bala has been accused of anti-Semitism on numerous occasions. He was even condemned by the Belgian, French and Canadian courts for “incitement to racial or religious discrimination, hatred or violence“.
“I regret that he did not remain an artist”
For Elie Semoun, despite his great career and his notoriety, the end of this comic duo with Dieudonné remains an eternal regret, as he expressed in front of Nikos: “I still love him. But I have the feeling of a monstrous mess. I regret that he did not remain an artist. He almost became a politician (…) We call each other sometimes. We saw each other not long ago. I have the feeling that he would like to come back but I have the feeling that he has still gone quite far. He may see me as a humorous functionary and as someone who has fallen into the ranks. But I prefer my place to his to be honest. But I’m sorry because we were both really funny.”
With hindsight, the ex-acolyte of Dieudonné keeps the positive of their comic duo which, even dissolved, remains timeless: “We paved the way for a lot of people and for a whole generation of comedians, we are a classic, an example, a reference…”, he concluded.