The Big Cactus is a very popular show in Belgium. Broadcast on RTBF, it is a mandatory point of passage for artists in promotion. As in all these shows, many columnists intervene daily. Damien Gillard and Cécile Giroud thus attempted a sketch around transidentity which caused a real uproar on the other side of the border.
The negative repercussions were indeed very numerous. The channel was forced to publicly apologize as well as the two comedians. The group Indochine which was parodied in the sketch in question also stepped up to the plate. More than a month after the events, it was Gad Elmaleh who in turn spoke. He was surprised by the extent of the controversy and gave his support to his two colleagues.
The Grand Cactus faces controversy
RTBF would have done well without this rather negative episode. Unfortunately, she had to face the consequences of the comments made by her two chief comedians during the famous show of Grand Cactus. Damien Gillard and Cécile Giroud chose to cover an old song from the group Indochine 3rd sex. They particularly referred to to rumors surrounding Brigitte Macron's transsexuality. A questionable editorial choice which forced the channel to apologize via a press release.
“RTBF expresses its most sincere regrets to all the people who were affected by this sequence. To provide responses commensurate with the situation, it is essential to conduct an in-depth dialogue with representatives of diversity associations. RTBF will communicate on the concrete measures when this work has been carried out. RTBF reaffirms its commitment to the fight against discriminationwhich is and remains a cardinal value for our media.”
Gad Elmaleh flies to the rescue of the Grand Cactus
More than a month after this sketch was held, Gad Elmaleh spoke on this subject in Ciné-Télé-Revue. He was not aware of the extent that it had taken on in Belgium. He then insisted on support the two comedians by playing down the situation. The native of Casablanca even allowed himself to accentuate the line a little more. An intervention which risks rekindling the controversy if it were to be misinterpreted by some.
“It doesn't shock me, the humor of this show, because it's not making fun of gender or people or singularities, but making fun of the ambient air, of polarization. It's not disrespectful. If we no longer have the right to make fun of that, then we're dead, we're screwed! I didn't know the bad buzz had gone so far. I identify with a coffee table! At some point, humor must also serve as a release.” We are impatiently awaiting the response from Nicolas Sirkis and the members of the Indochine group.
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