Christophe Alévêque

Success and Recognition

His fame took off in 1994 thanks to his appearance on Laurent Ruquier’s programme Rien à cirer on France Inter. He then became part of Laurent Ruquier’“la bande” on Europe 1 in On va s'gêner and on France 2 in On a tout essayé. He enjoyed great success with his show Alévêque ? in 2002 at the Théâtre Bobino in Paris, where he tackled the 11 September 2001 attacks and their repercussions in Afghanistan with cynicism and irony. He also takes a critical look at Western family life, consumerism, globalisation and social inequality. When, dressed as Zorro, he discusses employee savings schemes and share options, he is ‘“irrésistible”’ according to Le Parisien. The show ends with a cover of the song La Vieille by Patrick Font and Philippe Val, which he performs accompanied on guitar by his sound engineer, Franck Mermillod.

In 2006, his show Debout ! blended sketches, songs (a cover of Moustaki’s Sans la nommer, one by Patrick Font) and pieces performed on stage with his band, comprising a guitarist (Franck Mermillod, who had already held the same role in 2002 alongside Christophe Alévêque), a drummer, a bassist, a horn player and an accordionist. Even more daring, this show is driven by a genuine desire to rouse people and open their eyes to pressing current issues (the suburbs, the Iraq War, thought control, and an ever-strengthening system of fear).

He also wrote regularly for the satirical weekly Siné Hebdo, founded by the cartoonist Siné, whom he had previously supported following his dismissal from Charlie Hebdo. He also refers to Siné Hebdo in a film dedicated to his friend Renaud.

In 2009, to mark the second anniversary of Nicolas Sarkozy’s election, he wrote and starred in five episodes of a web series, Le petit coin de résistance, produced by the Comité de la Claque. Five new episodes covering current affairs were then broadcast in autumn 2009 on the news website Le Post and on Dailymotion.

He performed his new show Super Rebelle ! Enfin ce qu'il en reste… in the provinces and in Paris, at the Théâtre du Rond-Point.

In 2015, the left-wing “comique de gauche” presented his new show “Ça ira mieux demain”, a current affairs revue in which, according to *Atlantico*, despite his tendency to unleash “un torrent de haine et de mépris sur La Manif pour tous et le Front national” and the fact that he could be “moins partisan”, he is both très drôle et très corrosif and “très drôle et très corrosif”.

In 2020, the lockdown from March to May prompted him to say: “Anger has mounted. What struck me most was that we stopped thinking. All of a sudden, our brains were pickled in formaldehyde. No questioning, no reflection. We’re in lockdown. ‘Very well, Colonel!’ And that’s that“. Il joue et filme son spectacle”, *19 March–19 May, the black hole*, in front of an empty auditorium.

Public life

Political stances and activism

In 2007, following Nicolas Sarkozy’s election as president, Christophe Alévêque formed a choir to sing ‘Mille Colombes’ (a song performed by Mireille Mathieu), now the ‘“hymne de la droite décomplexée”’ [anthem of the unapologetic right], as a parody, of course. He organised various gatherings of this choir, notably during the Avignon Festival, during which he was pelted with a pie.

On 6 May 2011, he announced his candidacy for the 2012 French presidential election, which he discussed that very same day on his friend Yassine Belattar’s morning show, *La Matinale*, on *Le Mouv’*. Courted mainly by left-wing political parties, he is not a member of the Socialist Party (PS) and does not claim any specific political affiliation, even though, by his own admission, “Christophe Alévêque votera à gauche”.

In the summer of 2016, a“histoire surprenante” story began, according to L'Express: Alévêque, believing th“la gauche est en ruines”, hoped to be able to bring together all its factions, as, in his view, they“globalement la même chose”. He organised a series of dinners at his home, the first of which, on 28 June 2016, brought together former ministers Benoît Hamon, Christiane Taubira and Cécile Duflot, as well as the national secretary of the French Communist Party (PCF), Pierre Laurent, and the Socialist Party dissident Jérôme Guedj. Meanwhile, Christiane Taubira approached Arnaud Montebourg. The notable absentee from these gatherings at Alévêque’s home was Jean-Luc Mélenchon. He declined the invitation, in line with his policy of not associating with potential candidates in the left-wing primary, in which he did not wish to take part. In November 2016, Alévêque published an opinion piece in Libération calling for all left-wing factions to rally behind Christiane Taubira. But Alévêque’s attempt failed, as individual ambitions prevailed. He campaigned, in vain, for Christiane Taubira to stand as a candidate in the 2017 presidential election.

In March 2023, he supported the movement against the pension reform bill by signing a petition addressed to the Head of State, calling for the immediate withdrawal of the bill, which was deemed un“injuste, inefficace, touchant plus durement les plus précaires et les femmes” (those in the most precarious situations and women), as well as being rejected “by the overwhelming majority of the population, and even by a minority in the National Assembly”. The text emphasises the duty of solidarity in the face of a reform that i“va frapper plus durement ceux qui exercent les métiers les plus difficiles”.

Legal disputes

In 2010, Christophe Alévêque made insulting remarks about Zinédine Zidane in Sportmag. Zinédine Zidane asked his lawyer to respond. After being acquitted at first instance, Christophe Alévêque lost his appeal against Zinedine Zidane and was ordered to pay 5,000 euros in damages for defamation (judgement of the Court of Appeal of 7 March 2013).

Personal life

Having had two children from a previous relationship, he is currently in a relationship with Serena Reinaldi, the winner of Nice people in 2003, with whom he starred in the play Ciao Amore in 2010.