Alongside the accusations of domestic violence, regulars noticed a detail on Stéphane Plaza’s broadcasts.
Despite the accusations of domestic violence and the postponement of his trial until January 2025, the star host Stéphane Plaza once again walks his cheerful face on M6. For several weeks, the channel has decided to broadcast its flagship shows as if nothing had happened, Search for apartment or house, House for sale And Apartment hunters. A programming choice that causes embarrassment, even if the presumption of innocence must of course prevail.
As a reminder, on August 28, the trial of Stéphane Plaza for violence against two ex-partners was postponed until January 9, 2025 by the Paris criminal court. The 54-year-old host, placed under judicial supervision, was absent from the hearing, his lawyer citing a risk of “psychological decompensation”. The two complainants accuse him of physical and psychological violence during their relationship, with some very explicit details in the press.
However, just a few days after this postponement, viewers were surprised to find the presenter on screen in September. During its back-to-school conference, M6 indicated that it continued to work with the presenter and in fact it puts it on every weekend on Stéphane Plaza, on Saturday (Apartment hunters) and Sunday (House for sale And Search for apartment or house) afternoon.
Better still, Stéphane Plaza even returned to prime-time this Friday, with unpublished Change everything or move and of Looking for an apartment or house. It will be the same the following week. A TV film, shot in September with Michèle Bernier, would also be in the works. A sign of support from M6 for its favorite real estate agent? Not so sure.
Some informed observers, such as the site Toutatélé.com, have noticed that M6 had already ousted Apartment hunters on Saturday, for the benefit of two episodes of Nightmare in the kitchen with Philippe Etchebest. But it is above all the rhythm and the nature of the broadcasts that is intriguing. This Friday, October 25, after an unprecedented Change everything or moveit’s still a new one from Search for apartment or house which was broadcast in the second part of the evening. A very late slot usually reserved for rebroadcasts. Choosing unreleased material in this installment would even be a historic first according to Toutatélé.com.
Enough to give rise to “a feeling of liquidation” of the issues in stock. “The channel seems to have opted for a rapid strategy in order to get rid of these unreleased items,” writes the website. Do these massive broadcasts signal the end of the collaboration between the channel and its star? Officially, M6 tries to keep a balanced position: an internal investigation was mentioned in 2023 and M6 more recently took note of “Stéphane Plaza’s formal challenge to the facts with which he is accused”. She must also note, undoubtedly, that her contract with the host extends until 2028…