The last episode of ListeningMike Ward’s legendary podcast, featured a memorable scene where the humor took a disturbing turn.
Dave Morissette took the opportunity to “stupid” Guillaume Latendresse and Maxim Lapierre, the two former CH players and hosts of La Poche Bleue.
While the episode offered many hilarious moments, one joke in particular, targeting Latendresse’s mental health, left a bitter taste.
Last year, Maxim Lapierre and Guillaume Latendresse made a big splash after a controversial appearance on Sous Listen.
The two hosts, visibly tipsy, had increased their inappropriate behavior towards Mike Ward, going as far as non-consensual physical gestures such as a finger in the mouth or forced hugs.
Mike, uneasy, chose to remove the episode from the platforms, later explaining:
“They wanted to show me that they could drink like men, but instead they drank like children. »
In his recent episode, Dave Morissette did not hesitate to return to this incident, declaring with a smile:
“I was told: don’t touch Mike… This could be my last podcast. »
An obvious nod to the past slip-ups of La Poche Bleue. The humor here was spot on.
But Mike Ward’s reply, “In six months, you’re going to take a sabbatical ”, went badly according to some.
Here is the full video clip:
Mike Ward’s joke directly alluded to the professional break of Guillaume Latendresse, who recently announced his retirement from the media for mental health reasons linked to concussions suffered during his career.
If the intention was to provoke embarrassed laughter, the reaction was quite different: obvious discomfort.
It’s impossible not to feel deep empathy for Latendresse, who openly shared her struggles with depression and the physical aftereffects of her injuries.
These courageous confessions, made over the years, have raised public awareness of the reality of athletes after their careers.
Yet, in a few words, this joke seemed to minimize the full gravity of his journey.
Let’s be honest: Much of the episode was hilarious. Dave Morissette and Mike Ward know how to play with boundaries to make their audience laugh.
But this joke about Latendresse, although inserted in a context of “boyfriends”, crossed an invisible line.
For what ? Because it touches on an extremely delicate subject: mental health.
Latendresse is not a simple public figure. He is a man who, over the years, has courageously exposed his vulnerability to shine a light on an issue that many would rather keep quiet.
Moments like the one where he admitted to losing his memory for a month after a blow to the head while playing Wii with his son are etched in memories.
To laugh about this, even indirectly, is to risk trivializing these real sufferings.
Of course, Dave Morissette and Mike Ward didn’t want to hurt Latendresse. Their exchanges were part of a typical “boy” dynamic: goofiness and sometimes cruel jokes, but without apparent malice.
However, even in this context, humor has limits. A joke can be funny while still being awkward or even hurtful.
In a context where mental health is still a taboo subject for many men, this joke could have been a moment to remind people of the importance of respect and compassion.
Instead, she reinforced this idea that personal struggles are an appropriate topic to make people laugh about, even when they involve deep wounds.
Guillaume Latendresse recently wrote:
“I should have treated myself a long time ago, but I always put it off. »
These words reflect very real pain and immense courage. He and others, like Carey Price and Jonathan Drouin, helped break the silence around the mental struggles of athletes.
As we laugh at the lighthearted and absurd moments of Listening, let’s not forget that behind the jokes sometimes lie much darker realities.
That humor remains a powerful tool to bring people together, but that it should never be a means to rekindle wounds.
To Guillaume Latendresse, we send all our respect and support. And to Dave Morissette and Mike Ward, a simple reminder: some jokes, even well-intentioned, deserve extra thought before being thrown.
