Gad Elmaleh denies having plagiarized Quebec comedians

Comedian of Moroccan origin Gad Elmaleh rejects accusations of plagiarism from Quebec artists to which he has been subjected since 2017. In an interview given to host Stéphane Leclair ahead of his show in Montreal next December, he claims that “the story was completely fabricated.”

Although he admits that he was inspired by certain American comedians, Gad Elmaleh denies having done the same thing with Quebec comedians such as Martin Matte, Louis-José Houde and Martin Petit.

In this one-hour interview, which will air Wednesday at 9 p.m. (EST) on The big interviews on ICI Première, Gad Elmaleh – who has dual Moroccan and Canadian nationality – looks back in particular on his beginnings in humor in Quebec at the defunct Cabaret Juste pour laughs in Montreal, on December 10, 1994, almost 30 years ago.

However, it is above all his comments on the accusations of plagiarism against him that are surprising, a saga that he addresses in his new show entitled Himselfwhich he will present at the Bell Center on December 11.

History [du plagiat] of Quebec comedians was invented from scratch. I defend it loud and clearhe explains, while claiming to have made his mea culpa in relation to the American artists from whom he has already admitted to having been “inspired”, such as his mentor Jerry Seinfeld.

Funny familiar sketches

Remember that accusations of plagiarism against Gad Elmaleh resurfaced in 2019 on the YouTube account of an anonymous Internet user, named CopyComic. This justice of humor had also raised questions about other French comedians, including Tomer Sisley, Roland Magdane and Jamel Debbouze.

In a video montage published by CopyComic, we could see disturbing similarities between certain sketches by Gad Elmaleh and those of Quebec comedians, such as a passage from his show Dad is upstairs (2010) which seemed modeled on an issue of Follow the parade (2008), by Louis-José Houde.

The resemblance between one of his sketches and a Martin Matte number, in which the protagonist attempts, despite the ridiculousness of the situation, to walk in ski boots, also caused a stir.

Passing through Everyone is talking about it in April 2019, comedian Martin Petit, including a number from his show Life size (2000) was transplanted by Gad Elmaleh into Without drum (2014), said it was “the worst thing a comedian can do”.

A tense discussion with Martin Matte

In his interview with Stéphane Leclair, Gad Elmaleh specifies that he personally addressed the issue of plagiarism with a single Quebec comedian, Martin Matte. He was the only one I called to say how I felt. It was a tense discussion, where I told him how saddened I was by what had been said publicly about me. And he reproached mehe remembers.

These criticisms are unfounded; I think we need to ask him about that. I think it’s not honest to have a friend who, suddenly, gets carried away and goes crying with the wolves, and who doesn’t call me. It’s weird, right?

He also wonders why no intellectual property suit has been filed against him. If you don’t want to sue me, you call me, you talk to me, you yell at me, you insult me, you invite me to your show, to your podcast; you share with me your anger, your ragehe insisted.

I was certainly not right with the Americans, but we remain human, we talk to each other; we can’t just burn someone every day in the Quebec media for five years. It doesn’t make sense.

With information from Stéphane Leclair