French television host Jean-Luc Lemoine has been ousted from the France 3 program Samedi d'en rire and replaced by Bernard Montiel.
The decision to drop Lemoine from the Saturday afternoon show, which he has presented since 2019, has prompted two of the program's regular columnists to resign in protest. One departing panelist claimed Montiel secured the role due to his friendship with French First Lady Brigitte Macron.
Samedi d'en rire is a weekend entertainment show featuring humor, songs, and trivia about television and musical history from the 1960s to the present. Lemoine's regular panel included former Canal+ presenter Marc Toesca, Yoann Riou, and Nadège Beausson-Diagne.
Lemoine announced his departure on social media, stating that the production company had initially given him the dates for the first filming session of the upcoming September season before abruptly changing its mind. He said there were no warning signs that he would be replaced and that he had never seen anything like it during his media career.
Co-stars quit in protest
Toesca responded to Lemoine's announcement by praising him as a great, funny, and kind person, and condemning his sudden exit. Toesca said he would leave the program, describing Montiel as an odorless, colorless, and flavorless courtier, as well as a fool. He alleged that Montiel was chosen specifically because he is a friend of Brigitte Macron.
Fellow columnist Riou also announced he was leaving the show, citing Lemoine's departure as his reason for exiting what he called a wonderful program.
Montiel is a veteran broadcaster known for hosting shows such as Vidéo Gag, Une famille en or, and Surprise sur prise. He currently works for France 3 and RFM radio. He addressed the controversy on Instagram, dismissing the claims as fake news without addressing the specific allegations about his connections. He also quoted television personality Cyril Hanouna, stating that television is just television.
France Télévisions, the production company behind Samedi d'en rire, and Brigitte Macron have not commented on the accusations.
