A video recorded behind the scenes of the historic Parisian Folies Bergère has unleashed another political fire in France in which the Macron couple have once again placed themselves in the eye of the storm. But this time it has not been a , but the French first lady, Brigitte Macron, is the only protagonist of a monumental mess that has turned a private visit to the comedian Ary Abittan’s show into a topic of conversation throughout the country. The reason: a recording published by the magazine Public in which Emmanuel Macron’s wife is heard calling a group of feminists “fucking assholes” that interrupted the actions of Abittan, who was reported for rape in 2021 in a case that the French justice system definitively closed in January.
The episode, according to the French press, began last Monday night when four militants of the feminist group #NousToutes They interrupted the comedian’s performance, shouting slogans against him, wearing masks with Abittan’s face and the word “rapist” printed on it, clearly visible and large, completely stopping the show for a few moments. In their protest, the activists appealed to the complaint filed in 2021 by a young woman who accused him of an alleged rape, a case that was closed this year after three years of investigation. Despite the archive, the French comedian’s return to the stage continues to cause moments of tension, with protests and mobilizations of feminist groups at the doors of the theaters where he performs.
In this environment, Brigitte Macron went to the Folies Bergère on Sunday with her daughter, Tiphaine Auzière, to greet the comedian before the performance. The leaked video captures that moment behind the scenes: Abittan admits to her that he fears another altercation and she tries to calm him down before releasing the phrase that has ignited the country. What seemed like a private conversation in a dressing room has ended up becoming a political problem that once again puts the Elysée in the spotlight.
The dissemination of the video has not helped to temper spirits either. According to the French press, the recording reached several magazines due to an internal error at the Bestimage agency, very close to the first lady. Its usual manager was absent due to a family bereavement and the material was distributed without reviewing the sound, which allowed sensitive fragments like this to end up in the hands of magazines such as Public, Paris Match or Closer. The technical slip multiplied the scope of the sequence.
The activists reacted instantly. The #NousToutes collective spread the video on their networks and launched the hashtag #salesconnes, which went viral on a black background and began circulating on Instagram and Bluesky in a matter of minutes. “We are deeply shocked and scandalized. That way of speaking says a lot about how he understands things,” said a militant identified as Gwen in statements reported by the French press. “It is another spit against the victims and against those who accompany them,” he added. This wave of indignation was joined by figures such as the actress Judith Godrèche, who wrote: “I am also a damn idiot. And I support the rest”, or the lawyer and writer Camille Kouchner, who shared the motto, as did the singer Camélia Jordana, who took a photograph with the message painted on her forehead.
Politics also did not take long to enter the scene. Environmental leader Marine Tondelier described the first lady’s words as “very serious” and recalled that “a first lady cannot express herself like that.” Mélanie Vogel, Green MEP, was ironic when she wished “a very good day to all the damn idiots in the country.” From La Francia Insumisa, Manon Aubry denounced that Emmanuel Macron’s “great cause of the five-year period” ended in an insult to mobilized women, while her colleague Sarah Legrain stressed that the file of the case does not erase the testimony of the complainant.
French socialism added to the unrest. Former president François Hollande warned that, when talking about women fighting against violence, “words matter.” The head of the socialist group in the Senate, Patrick Kanner, directly demanded a public rectification. In the Government they tried to hold the line: Amélie de Montchalin, Minister of Public Accounts, acknowledged that “this language does not correspond to public debate,” although she said she understood the fatigue generated by interruptions to shows. In parallel, the Macronist deputy Prisca Thévenot defended Brigitte Macron and criticized some controversies that, according to her, “are repeated more and more.”
The first lady’s entourage assured that her comment was intended to criticize “the radical method” of those who boycotted the function, and that she did not seek to get into the bottom of the Abittan case. The explanation, however, has not prevented the video from continuing to escalate politically and fueling a debate that mixes feminist indignation, presidential wear and tear, and the eternal risk that any phrase said behind the scenes will end up becoming a national slogan.
In France, few things travel as fast as an awkward leak. And this, unfortunately for the Elysée, has chosen the worst time to fly.
