On Saturday January 25, 2025, Marine won the Star Academy in the final against Ebony broadcast on TF1. On social networks, a wave of amazement and anger has risen in response to this victory. We explain the controversy to you.
Marine, after a moving performance on Saturday evening on TF1, won the famous singing competition broadcast on TF1. With the membership of the public and the jury, she rose to first place during the two technical events of the evening. Enough to make a few teeth cringe.
“Shame on TF1!”
On social networks, many Internet users castigate this happy epilogue for the young candidate of 24 years. To the key? A contract with Sony Music accompanied by a check for 100,000 euros.
“Shame on TF1”, “it’s too annoying”, “I have never seen such an disrespectful audience” … can be read on x under the hashtags #Staracademy and #Sstarac. It must be said that the atmosphere was special. The public on the set expressed its fervent support for Marine, facing an Ebony already tested by a recent controversy.
Accusations of racism
Indeed in recent days, the show has been accused of promoting Marine. Until a few days ago, the votes were closed in the Antilles, even though Ebony has Guadeloupe origins and therefore had a good chance of benefiting from the support of this overseas department.
Faced with this controversy, TF1 finally opened the votes to these French archipelagos. Also, the inhabitants of Guadeloupe, Guyana, Martinique, Mayotte, Réunion, Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy, were able to vote. Enough to allow the young woman of 20 years to get more votes.
-But that was without counting a second case that the supports of Ebony do not want to let pass: Endemol, which produces the Star Ac ‘, seized justice after the many racist and discriminatory remarks of which two black candidates, Ebony and Franck.
The production company had made a first report after a wave of racist and sexist hatred towards Ebony, last December.
A second report was sent in January, for acts of racism against Franck, another candidate of the reality TV show eliminated in the semi-finals. The Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed the existence of “Two complaints denouncing discriminatory remarks made online at the damage of Ebony Cham”. The first, dating from December 26, 2024, was entrusted to the Central Office for the Fight against Haine Crimes.
In December, TF1 and Endemol had denounced “Haine comments” Towards the candidates and announced that any hatred campaign would be reported. After the final, many continue to denounce this wave of hatred, and who see in second place in Ebony, a sign that she did underwent an online discrimination campaign, to her disadvantage during the ‘Saturday evening show.
