Two and a half after being the target of allegations of sexual misconduct, Julien Lacroix confided in host Stéphan Bureau on the occasion of the program The world upside downwith VAT.
It was for the comedian of a first presence on TV since being denounced by nine women in July 2020 as part of an investigation by the To have to. Visibly uncomfortable in front of the veteran host, the 30-year-old comedian admitted to being scared, but that was why he accepted the invitation. “I’m tired of being scared to speak, scared to go back on stage, scared to walk down the street, that’s why I’m sitting here,” he admitted.
He also admitted that it was impossible for him to return to his life before, immediately hastening to add that it was good for some very obvious reasons. “But I want to try to take the next step on a personal and professional level, for me, my loved ones but also for those people splashed every time we talk about this,” he said, referring to those who denounced it – some have since nuanced their remarks, in particular in an article by The Press and 98.5 released last November.
It was when the host Bureau asked Julien Lacroix if he had a grudge against the authors of the article in the To have to that the comedian was the most combative, maintaining that he had undoubtedly been swept away by the undertow of the #meetoo wave. “I denounce the bad faith of the To have to because I believe they have done a job to collect clicks, he argued. After the accusations of aggressors like Harvey Weinstein, it became like a fashion to carry out investigations in the same way… And there is no manual that says how to react: if you deny, you don’t you don’t seem to take it seriously, and if you take responsibility, which I did, you become a pedophile or a serial rapist. And there is still a branch of people who will never accept my apologies…”
The tone of the interview, however, remained generally calm, the discomfort of the comedian dressed in a simple white T-shirt sometimes giving way to a more felt emotion, especially when asked if he had told his story to his three younger brothers: “It’s as difficult to talk to them about it as it is to talk to my boy when he’s going to understand,” he said, holding back his sobs.
He was also felt emotional when he referred to young boys who may have found themselves in a situation similar to his. “It’s dangerous what is happening,” he said. I completely understand the bottom line, but I think we were thirsty for blood, for names, we wanted a show. And I’m taking part in it because I’m here tonight, but we have to look at what we want to bequeath to young boys who are scared at the moment. »
As for the rest of his career, Julien Lacroix intends to continue his efforts to return to the stage, he who indicated that he had lost a job in the family business because people were not comfortable with his presence. “I have no choice, for me, my boy, because this job, it’s me who will fight to find it,” he said before adding later in the interview that he had no desire to play the victim: “I want to be honest here as I am on stage and with my loved ones, he argued. But I’m glad the anger is easing, and I want to move on in life. »
After attempting a first comeback in July – canceled after being the target of threats – Julien Lacroix finally found the stage in Montreal on December 21 and 22, in a bar in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve whose location had been revealed to the owners. tickets 24 hours in advance. Other shows, some of which are already sold out, are planned for Montreal, Saint-Lazare and Saint-Eustache in the coming months.