Firmine Richard, spokesperson for the entire overseas community, won her case. During the second semi-final of the “Star Academy”, pitting Ebony against Franck on January 18, the 77-year-old actress lost her temper live, deploring that the votes coming from the West Indies were not counted during the competition. “This is unacceptable”had annoyed the member of Ebony's support committee, of Guadeloupean origin like her. His cry from the heart was heard by TF1 and the production of the tele-hook, who announced, a few days later, the opening of the votes for the final in the DROM-COM. “Residents of Guadeloupe, Guyana, Martinique, Mayotte, Réunion, St-Martin, St-Barthélemy will be able to vote for the candidate of their choice by telephone only at 34 80″specified a press release from the channel.
“I served as a transmission belt”
Before traveling to L'Île-Saint-Denis to support her favorite candidate, Firmine Richard returned to this sequence, during an interview with “LepigeTV”. A premeditated rant that would have been pushed, whatever the broadcast channel. “As the show took place on TF1, indeed, it was TF1 which was concerned but the show would take place on M6 or France Télévisions, I would say the same thing. I didn't attack the chain at all, I served as a transmission belt.she assured. If she congratulates the front page for having modified the voting conditions, the actress seen in “The First Star” regrets having had to speak out on the subject. “Luckily I found myself in the right place at the right time and was interviewed. It is still a good operation for the channel and for the telephone operators because these are premium rate calls. There are people who voted, five, six, say times for Ebony. You can see what it brings in for the channel and the operators.” underlined Firmine Richard, describing this point of regulation as“an aberration”.
-Also read: “Star Academy” 2025: Who are the (many) guests of the final bonus between Marine and Ebony?
Before turning around and modifying its regulations exceptionally for this final, TF1 justified the non-possibility for overseas residents to vote to save their favorite candidate by a technical constraint. “For the DROM-COM, beyond the regulatory aspect, it is above all a technical problem which does not allow us to offer residents of overseas departments, regions and communities to play by telephone and/or SMS as part of the interactive games offered during our programs. In this case, the overseas operators are not the same as in mainland France and the numbering plans and rules are different.the channel justified itself.
