The vagaries of live or a serious skid? After a verbal altercation between the deputy of La France insoumise Louis Boyard and the host of C8 Cyril Hanouna, Thursday, November 10, on the set of the program “Touche pas à mon poste”, the two men announced their intention to wear complaint Monday. From the buzz to the court via the Palais-Bourbon, franceinfo looks back on a sequence that brought to the fore the issues of media concentration and freedom of expression.
Act 1: your world between Cyril Hanouna and Louis Boyard
“You’re a piece of shit”, “moron”, “jester”, “tocard”… Cyril Hanouna attacks his guest, Louis Boyard, received on the set of “Touche pas à mon poste”, Thursday at the start of the evening. The two men know each other: the deputy of La France insoumise was once a columnist for the flagship program of C8, followed on average by just under two million viewers. This is not an old quarrel, but an exchange that occurred during a sequence devoted to the migrant boat ocean viking which ignites the powder. The deputy then accuses the “five richest people” from France from“to impoverish Africa”, citing among them Vincent Bolloré, owner of the Canal+ group, of which C8 is a part.
⚡ Violent altercation between Louis Boyard and Cyril Hanouna: the deputy #LFI is taken to task by Hanouna for having criticized the role of the boss of the chain Vincent Bolloré on the African continent, in particular in Cameroon. pic.twitter.com/Uw2Msj0bjw
— Elections 2022 (@2022Elections) November 10, 2022
“Bolloré gave you money since you were a columnist here, you didn’t mind”replies Cyril Hanouna, accusing the deputy of having wanted “make a splash“. The tone rises quickly. The insults fuse. “You’re irresponsible Cyril, you’re hurting France, you’re raising racism in France and we don’t even have the right to criticize Bolloré on your channel”, launches the deputy LFI. “You are a piece of shit”adds the host, before the chosen one leaves the set under the boos of the public.
A little later in the evening, the elected Val-de-Marne persists and signs, on Twitter. “On TPMP, Cyril Hanouna has just insulted me for having criticized Bolloré, owner of his channel. Cyril Hanouna is as irresponsible with freedom of expression as with the far right”, he writes.
On #TPMPCyril Hanouna has just insulted me for having criticized Bolloré, owner of his channel.
Cyril Hanouna is as irresponsible with freedom of expression as with the far right.
France is taking a worrying turn.
— Louis Boyard (@LouisBoyard) November 10, 2022
The facilitator responds on the social network a few minutes later. For him, this sequence is, on the contrary, “good proof that on TPMP, we can say everything, and invite everyone”.
This sequence with @LouisBoyard is proof that on #TPMP we can say everything, and invite everyone. If even the deputies want to make a buzz now…Where are we going? Go take a chamomile my Louis and go buy yourself a suit! ❤️
— Cyril Hanouna (@Cyrilhanouna) November 10, 2022
Act 2: the boss of LFI deputies seizes Arcom
The day after the broadcast, the president of the LFI deputies, Mathilde Panot, announced that she had seized Arcom (French public authority for the regulation of audiovisual and digital communication). In her referral letter, she writes about the incident, which “fear a disturbing turn”.
“We are seized and we will examine the sequence with regard to the obligations of the publisher”, Arcom had informed AFP earlier, without specifying whether the referral came from LFI or viewers. The channel, C8, does not comment.
Act 3: an investigation into “the interference of Vincent Bolloré” is requested
For his part, Louis Boyard asked Friday for a parliamentary commission of inquiry into “Vincent Bolloré’s interference in the media he owns“. In a press release, the deputy denounces“an attempt at intimidation but also [une] clear manifestation of the censorship methods being used to muzzle anyone attacking this billionaire’s empire”. “The objective is in particular to audition Vincent Bolloré and Cyril Hanouna”continues the parliamentarian.
Cyril Hanouna returns to the altercation on Sunday. “I am sanguine and true like some politicians. The only thing I regret is having insulted him, it’s not a good example”, he wrote on Twitter. “As for the rest, I have no regrets and I will always defend my friends”.
Act 4: Louis Boyard announces a complaint
During a press briefing organized at the National Assembly on Monday, the deputy announced that he was going to file a complaint against Cyril Hanouna. Expressing “a thought for the millions of people who have been insulted”, Louis Boyard ensures that these people were “insulted every time TPMP invited the far right and made racist and Islamophobic remarks on their shows”.
“The omnipotence of Hanouna who thinks he can insult and intimidate a person because he criticizes his boss is inadmissible”, continues Louis Boyard, who then specifies to file a complaint for “public insult”. “Whether you’re an MP or not, a presenter doesn’t have to insult someone live for criticizing the owner of his channel“C8, Vincent Bolloré, insists the “rebellious” deputy.
Act 5: Cyril Hanouna announces to file a complaint in turn and defends his “friend Bolloré”
In the evening, the facilitator counter-attacks. During his show, Cyril Hanouna and his columnists return at length to the altercation that occurred four days earlier. In turn, the collaborators of “Baba” express their feelings, castigating the attitude of the deputy and defending that of the conductor of the show. “We are going to sue Louis Boyard”, then announces Cyril Hanouna, who talks about “defamation”. He accuses Louis Boyard and “people like him” to do “raise racism and communitarianism” in the country, training the people “against each other”.
The star presenter of the Bolloré group criticizes in particular this sentence pronounced by the young rebellious taking him to task: “You make your buzz on Zemmour, you make your buzz on racism”. Finally, the host devotes the last minutes of his program to the defense of “his friend” Vincent Bollore. “Bolloré is a 20-year-old friend, he’s the only one who has always called me, even when I was earning 200 euros a month. A 20-year-old friend, I will always defend him”, he specifies. He accuses Louis Boyard of being a “liar” as well as the real “nasty” in this story.
Act 6: LFI in turn defends its deputy
“One is never better served than by oneself.” After this plea in favor of the host, La France insoumise unites behind the deputy. “Tonight on TPMP, an hour of debate to defend soldier Hanouna. On the program: lies, total absence of contradiction, defamation”tweets the deputy LFI of Bouches-du-Rhône Manuel Bompard. “Hello Arcom, is Bolloré also paying you?”he asks.
Tonight on #TPMPan hour of debate to defend the soldier #hanouna. On the program: lies, total absence of contradiction, defamation.
We are never better served than by ourselves.
Hello there@Arcom_enit is #Bolore who also pays you?
—Manuel Bompard (@mbompard) November 14, 2022
In a meeting in Clermont-Ferrand (Puy-de-Dôme), the leader of LFI, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, intervenes in turn in the controversy, Monday evening. “The problem facing us as citizens is media pluralism”, he throws. “When nine people own 90% of the media, there is a trickle of mediocrity and obedience,” he adds in a speech that denounces the concentration of the media.
“I’m not going to throw stones at Hanouna like everyone else”, however adds Jean-Luc Mélenchon. “He’s just open-faced, he doesn’t have other people’s good manners and doesn’t know how to twist his talk in poison and lace.“, continues the former LFI candidate for the presidential election. He then takes his audience to task.”Imagine if it was the other way around, if it was Louis who spoke like that… What wouldn’t we have said!”