This Thursday, November 30, France 2 broadcast an issue of Complément d’investigation dedicated to Cyril Hanouna. A document that sheds light on a hidden fortune and brutal behind-the-scenes behavior.
Further investigation looked into the journey of Cyril Hanouna in an issue that has already been widely commented on, this Thursday, November 30, 2023, on France 2. The investigative magazine notably investigated the behavior of the star host of Do not touch My TV, nicknamed the “godfather of the PAF”. This issue was particularly awaited by viewers, who were hoping for revelations about the hidden side of the star and what happens behind the scenes of one of the most famous shows on TV.
Among the 32 employees of TPMP interviewed, eight sang the praises of Cyril Hanouna, nine refused to answer, 15 said they were working in “an atmosphere of terror”. “He is capable of great wickedness,” says one of them, “everyone is afraid of Cyril,” confides another. Quickly questioned on this subject, Cyril Hanouna assures that no one has “ever” told him of any discomfort.
An anonymous employee of the program presented by Hanouna notably recounted the functioning of the enormous C8 audience machine, with the role assigned to each columnist and what happens when the cameras are turned off. According to him, all columnists must tell Hanouna what he wants to hear. Jessie Claire, a former columnist five years ago for three months, says she was “afraid of being humiliated” on the show, playing the “potiche” on the set. The investigation also ensures that it would be Cyril Hanouna who would decide on the speeches and comments made by his columnists.
Some media personalities revealed in Further investigation having suffered “trashy” insults and “threats” over the phone, like Julien Cazarre. He notably filed a complaint for “malicious telephone calls”. It was dismissed. Other people say they have received these kinds of calls. Michael Zazoun, a former colleague who denounced Cyril Hanouna’s homophobia on Facebook, says, for his part, that he received 32 anonymous phone calls before filing a complaint. According to the police investigation, it was the host’s mother who harassed him on the phone. She was ordered to pay a fine of 440 euros.
The controversial Brav-M sequence
In examples of the show’s failures, Further investigation returns at length to the episode of the so-called Brav-M police officers present on set last April, in the middle of a demonstration against pension reform. This sequence caused controversy because the Paris police headquarters itself denied that these police officers belonged to the controversial motorized brigade. One of them was no longer even a police officer at the time of the interview. The producer of the show assures that she was told that there was at least one Brav-M police officer before the show.
According to the France 2 investigation, this would not be the case. The production would have been aware that they did not belong to Brav-M even before going on air. The production then allegedly delivered their identities, addresses and copies of police cards to the IGPN, despite the promise of anonymity made by Cyril Hanouna and his gang in front of millions of viewers. A practice which also questions respect for the secrecy of the sources of a program which is increasingly seeking recognition from the journalistic environment. The general director of H2O Production responded that, not being journalists, they did not have to respect the secrecy of sources.
A fortune and a yacht kept secret
This new issue of Further investigation also lifts the veil on the hidden fortune of Cyril Hanouna. A heritage that the host seeks to keep secret so as not to tarnish his image as a star close to people. Cyril Hanouna’s fortune is however estimated by a journalist interviewed at 85 million euros, excluding real estate assets. And when he is not in front of the cameras, the host of Don’t touch my post would cultivate a certain taste for luxury, notably with purchases of yachts.
Cyril Hanouna would be on his third in six years. He reportedly owns one in Cannes, where he also owns a luxurious villa. A superb Lamborghini brand yacht, registered in the United Kingdom, estimated at 3 million euros. But you will have little chance of seeing him photographed on board, according to one of his former employees: when he takes advantage of his luxurious boat near the French coast, Cyril Hanouna would prefer to stay in the cabin, for fear of being trapped by the paparazzi and to damage his image as a popular personality.