Death of Thierry Ardisson: these sequences which forged his sulphurous reputation
A television personality from the 1980s and 1990s, Thierry Ardisson died this Monday at the age of 76, leaving behind a number of clashes, humiliations and sequences that were not always very pleasant to (re)watch.
By News Service
Thierry Ardisson on the set of “Salut les Terriens” on C8, November 30, 2017. ISOPIX/SIPA
In recent years, Thierry Ardisson has been telling anyone who would listen that he regretted a modern-day television that had become too "pasteurized," too silly, too bland. It must be said that the presenter, who died on Monday, July 14 at the age of 76 , specialized in provocative and transgressive interviews. And he claimed it! "Le Nouvel Obs" looks back at those moments on television that forged the image of a man " so megalomaniac that he believes he invented vulgarity on television," according to Bernard Pivot.
1. “Is sucking cheating?” with Michel RocardFor Ardisson, transgression very often rhymed with sexuality. To the point of throwing dilemmas to each guest, like, we're not making this up, "Do you prefer a beautiful woman who sleeps badly or an ugly woman who sleeps well?" In 2001, while on the set of "Tout le monde en parle", the man in black launched his "pink alert interview" in the company of former Prime Minister Michel Rocard .
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The socialist hesitates, but plays along. " Is kissing cheating? " asks Ardisson, " no, " replies the person concerned. " Is sucking cheating? " asks the first. " No, either, " jokes the second, to the applause of the audience.
2. Milla Jovovich leaves the setBut not all of Ardisson's television moments ended with such lightness. In 2002, Ardisson hosted actress Milla Jovovich ("The Fifth Element") on an all-male set.
The questions continued about her films and her work, then turned to personal matters when Thierry Ardisson reminded her that her father was arrested for insurance fraud. " Yes, it's true, my father spent eight years in prison, I lost my father for eight years ," she said before tapping the glass of water in front of her and heading backstage, followed by a camera.
3. Christine Angot also leaves the setThese scenes where a woman finds herself uncomfortable on Thierry Ardisson's set are legion. In 2000, novelist Christine Angot was invited to "Tout le monde en parle" to promote her book "Quitter la ville."
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During the show, Ardisson and her sidekick Laurent Baffie raised the book's negative reviews, poor sales, and contradictions in other interviews. " Stop. Really, stop," she exclaimed before leaving the set. Years later, she expressed outrage at the Legion of Honor awarded to the host in 2024 , noting that she had been repeatedly humiliated by the presenter.
4. “A 12-Year-Old Girl” with Gabriel MatzneffIn 1995, on the show "Paris Dernière," Thierry Ardisson was in the company of Frédéric Beigbeder and... Gabriel Matzneff, the writer accused of pedophilia and whose writings recount his sexual adventures with minors . In an excerpt unearthed on X, we can see the three men exchanging abject jokes about Matzneff's sexual relations: "We're going to have Gabriel sleep with a twelve-year-old girl and we, and we, we're going to go see 62-year-old whores."
