“Guillaume Meurice has no talent but does not deserve to be fired from France Inter” According to Raphaël Enthoven

The news is shaken by the recent suspension of comedian Guillaume Meurice from the country's leading station, Radio France. This decision was strongly criticized, in particular by the philosopher Raphaël Enthoven, whose relationship with the director of France Inter, Adèle Van Reeth, is publicly known.

During his intervention on BFMTV on Sunday May 12, 2024, Raphaël Enthoven spoke about the suspension of Guillaume Meurice, triggered after the latter repeated a controversial joke about Benyamin Netanyahu, described as a “Nazi without a foreskin”. A remark which caused shock waves in the French radio industry.

Without explicitly mentioning his personal links with the management of France Inter, Enthoven criticized Radio France's decision, stating categorically: “You don't fire a comedian for a bad joke. » For him, the suspension of Meurice is an excessive measure and difficult to justify in terms of freedom of expression.

While acknowledging Guillaume Meurice's lack of talent, Enthoven highlighted a personal dislike for his humor, calling it "rotten". He argued that the comedian compensated for his lack of talent with a form of insolence which aroused more indignation than laughter. Despite this criticism, Enthoven insisted that the presidency of Radio France invoking discipline to justify Meurice's suspension seemed absurd to him.

The controversy also sparked other reactions within the radio industry. Some, like comedian François Morel, defended Guillaume Meurice, while others, like Alain Finkielkraut on BFMTV, described Meurice's joke as “brutally anti-Semitic”.

This case highlights the complex tensions between artistic freedom, respect for sensitivities and editorial responsibility in the field of radio humor. It also raises questions about the limits and nuances of freedom of expression, a delicate subject in the current context of debates on censorship and cancel culture.