Comedian Pranks France 2 News,Claiming to be “King of Good deals”
PARIS – France 2’s flagship 8 p.m. news program, Le 20h, was the target of a publicity stunt by a comedian who falsely presented himself as an expert on supermarket promotions during a report on consumer savings. The individual, who afterward promoted his upcoming Paris show on Instagram and TikTok with the tagline “I pretend to be the king of good deals on the 8 p.m. news,” misled a Le 20h journalist with a fabricated identity.
The incident, revealed by France Télévisions in a December 2nd statement on X (formerly Twitter), comes at a particularly sensitive time for the public broadcaster. France Télévisions is currently navigating significant budget cuts, a recent bomb threat that led to the evacuation of its headquarters, and mounting criticism from far-right political factions seeking to dismantle public broadcasting. The Le 20h program itself has faced scrutiny since Léa Salamé took the helm in September,following controversies including a question about marion Cotillard’s personal life and a misidentification of educators Dominique Bernard and Samuel Paty,both victims of terrorist attacks.
The comedian publicized the prank on Instagram and TikTok this Tuesday, linking it to ticket sales for his first Paris performance. France Télévisions acknowledged the deception in a post on X, stating, “we wanted to point out that yesterday, during our report on good deals and promotions in supermarkets, one of the people interviewed misled one of our journalists by falsifying his identity. He was actually a comedian adept at…”
the incident raises questions about journalistic vetting procedures at a moment when the network is under intense pressure and facing increased public and political scrutiny. The future of France Télévisions, and the role of public broadcasting in France, remains a subject of ongoing debate and parliamentary investigation.
