Telethon Godmother Santa Denounces “Lies” and Accusations of Artist Interference
Paris, France – Santa, named godmother of the 2025 Telethon, has vehemently denied accusations made by television host Cyril Hanouna alleging she barred singers Slimane and Vitaa from participating in the annual fundraising event due to personal jealousy. The controversy erupted following remarks on Hanouna’s talk show, where he claimed Santa didn’t want slimane to perform, despite the singer recently being fined €10,000 (with €3,000 suspended) for harassment via digital media. Hanouna also suggested Santa was motivated by professional rivalry, referencing past award wins by Vitaa, including perhaps at the Victoires de la Musique.
France Télévisions initially denied the claims, stating that programming decisions for the Telethon are solely the responsibility of its producers and that Santa, like previous godmothers, had no say in artist selection. Santa herself then addressed the accusations,telling Thomas Isle she was “hurt” by the “lies” and the potential for the claims to incite hatred.
“I was hurt as, really, these are lies and this is information that can be verified in two seconds,” Santa stated. She added that managers of Vitaa had contacted her, and she would have unequivocally denied the allegations. “And to share a post that invites hatred, that is slanderous, it hurts me deeply because my approach is total, pure, sincere.”
Santa emphasized the gravity of potentially “dirtying a mission such as the Telethon, betraying a human ethical contract,” calling it “unforgivable.” She confirmed she directly contacted Vitaa following the controversy, describing the conversation as “very peaceful” and stating there was “no problem” between them.
“Even if we certainly know that those around us can sometimes make situations worse,we have made things very clear,flat,there is no problem,there is no subject,” she said.
Santa expressed shock at the situation, noting the surprise at France Télévisions, and hopes to move past the controversy to focus on raising donations for medical research. “Its quite violent to see that this ethical line has been crossed, and it has gone too far for something too pure,” she concluded.
