Léa Salamé returns in “What an era” to the controversy arising from her remark to Artus

The week of Léa Salame was not easy. The host of “What a time!” has, in fact, faced a heated controversy arising from a remark she made to Artus during the program broadcast on Saturday April 27.

That evening, the comedian was present on the set of the talk show to promote his film A little something extra . The presenter then asked the person concerned, who admitted to being naturally anxious, “What’s your little extra thing to protect yourself against anxiety?” “I’m doing lots of little extra things, and it’s going much better. I stopped drinking, I stopped smoking…” At this moment, Léa Salamé interrupted him to tell him: “Ah, have you become boring?” before continuing “Finally, you are no longer anxious, but you are annoying”.

Artus was then indignant at his remark: “It’s very French, as soon as we say we stop drinking, we become boring! When, damn, it’s actually good to not necessarily drink alcohol.” A response which made Léa Salamé react again: “Oh dear, I say so!”, she continued. “But, fuck you, finally! (…) What is this thing, if I had told you that I was quitting cocaine, everyone would have said “oh damn, well done!” In France, you say you stop drinking and they boo you.”retorted the comedian.

This sequence which caused a huge reaction on social networks. Many people, including doctors, said they were shocked by the comments made by the host. Others, on the contrary, defended it, like Pascal Praud.

Read also“It’s becoming unbearable”: Pascal Praud defends Léa Salamé, pinned for a remark on alcohol

As a preamble to the show on Saturday May 5, the journalist wanted to talk about the subject again in order to explain herself. When she asked Paul de Saint Sernin if it had been a good week, the latter replied “I had a better week than you, we’re not going to lie”. After bursting out laughing, Léa Salamé grabbed the pole to return to the controversy. “Listen my dear Paul, I made a resolution this week, I’m stopping the jokes! I leave them to you. »

“I was surprised because, really, it’s a joke”

Léa Salame

The journalist continued: “I don’t know how to do it, and when you don’t know how to do it, you don’t do it. I’m obviously talking about the joke I made to Artus last week about alcohol. I received so many messages, there were so many reactions, between those who were shocked by my joke, those who were shocked by the extent of the reactions to this valve, in mode “Definitely we can’t do anything more say”. At first it’s true, I’ll tell you the truth, I was surprised because it really was a joke. We all felt it, felt like a joke, Artus too and, in no case, an apology for alcohol. »

The journalist continued her remarks by explaining what this controversy had inspired her for the program broadcast this Saturday, April 27. “It made me think and we said with our team that in fact it posed a real question, it opened a real social debate, a fundamental subject and we decided to come back to it right away. hour with Doctor Gérald Kierzek who will be our guest.

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Artus’ phone call

Later in the program, she introduced the arrival of the doctor like this: “We come to the controversy of the week. I don’t know if anyone missed it but she’s from here. Once is not customary, it happened in “What a time!” (…) It sparked a veritable tsunami of reactions. (…) The truth is that behind this valve there is a social issue (…) it is alcoholism, alcohol dependence”she explained before welcoming Gérald Kierzek.

She then pointed out the fact that French culture often associated alcohol with conviviality and joy and that someone who stopped drinking would be boring. “That’s what I wanted to say in a good word, well… not necessarily, in any case misinterpreted. I really want to say again that it was a failure but it was not understood so it is important to come back to itshe again justified herself. Should we break this preconceived idea? No, alcohol is not conviviality, it is not joy? »she asked the doctor.

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“We can be friendly, we can be funny without alcohol. What we must remember is that alcohol kills 41,000 people per year and that is why all the colleagues, the doctors, we saw it on social networks, were a little rebellious, the hepato-gastoenterologists because they see the ravages of alcohol every day,” announced Gérald Kierzek.
He then recalled that the vast majority of illnesses were linked to somewhat regular consumption of alcohol.

Léa Salamé then explained that Artus called her “He was sorry for the extent of the criticism and he told me ‘I don’t understand it was a joke’.” She later concluded: “The question is whether we can still make a joke about it. I don’t have the answer but, personally, I won’t do it anymore.”