the essential
The Jamel Comedy Club troupe and Jamel Debbouze will take the stage at the Zénith on February 5. The opportunity to take stock of the situation with the comedian who will accompany the emerging generation of comedians on the roads of France…
La Dépêche du Midi: The adventure of the Jamel Comedy Club has lasted for a little over 18 years, have you seen the time pass?
Oh yeah that long? ! I feel like it started last week, it’s incredible! So you really amaze me because my word, I never thought it had been this long. But besides, it’s impossible, because I’m 18! (laughs)
Does the success of the Jamel Comedy Club inspire you to be proud, and today to pass on the comedian’s baton?
Already, I’m passing the stick on to no one, because I still have the stick in my hand and if you annoy me I’m going to hit you with it. And what’s more, it’s made of iron, I warn you! (laughs) More seriously, the initial approach was to commune with other artists, with their energy, with their desire to laugh and to make people laugh. I started this profession so young that I was not in this philosophy of passing it on. Today, I have children and I understand better. But it has always been the desire to laugh and make people laugh, to start a troupe. You know, I come from a large family, I come from associations which allowed me to go on stage and this spirit of solidarity has always been there, so I distorted myself in some way by going on stage alone. I come from improvisation where we are a whole group and I wanted to get together with family, to share. This desire to commune delights me. I feel like we’re really useful as well as being fun. But to respond to the transmission itself, we didn’t think about it. We did it naturally.
The number of comics you have revealed is astonishing…
Yes, and what I am even more proud of is seeing the profusion of Comedy Clubs opening across France and even throughout the French-speaking world. People are calling us from all over to tell us they’ve opened one. It’s extraordinary to have inspired not only artists, but also venue owners.
And, obviously, you inspire your children Léon and Lila…
I’m stuck on a lot of stuff, it’s them who actually pass it on to me! (laughs) They really make me laugh because they stick to their time, they have a phone in their hand, they go on TikTok, watch the funniest things and they introduced me to lots of things!
-Are you preparing a new solo show?
I haven’t been back on stage for a long time and I go on stage every 7 years. I really need to recharge my batteries and have strong things to say again to get back on stage. But, with everything that has happened in recent years, my bag is full! (laughs) And thanks to this tour, I’m going to try to get back on track. We are never sure that it will work, we are always very humble about it because the stage is the stage, it’s like going to sea, you never know what state the sea will be in. We arrive on stage, we never know what to expect. I really want to go back one day with a solo show but first, I want to make sure I’m up to standard. And this tour will put me on time.
For what ?
Because I won’t just be there to present the artists, one behind the other. I want to be an active member of this show which promises to be great and we have a sublime setting. It’s not just a set of artists, it’s a real show that we’re going to give.
Will we see you at the cinema soon?
Yes in “Mercato” by Tristan Séguéla which will be released on February 19. It is not a comedy unlike “Marsupilami 2” which I have just finished and which will be released in 2026, but rather a sports thriller in which I play the role of an agent who must save his life in seven days, Mercato time. I am passionate about sport and football in particular, but not only that! And now that I know the behind the scenes, I wanted to tell them thanks to Olivier Demangel and Thomas Finkielkraut on the screenplay and Tristan Séguéla on the direction. We wanted to tell about these behind the scenes stories that fascinate us, where we never go and which are crazy to discover. There is sport and the other side of sport.
And does Toulouse hold a special place for you?
Obviously, it’s special, my friend! Seriously, it’s not sycophancy, between Nougaro, Zebda, Big Flo and Oli, Toulouse is my city! And what’s more, Agnès Jaoui is the president of your Cinémathèque and I love her!
