A backstage video of Brigitte Macron has set off a storm in France after the first lady was heard using a sexist insult while speaking with comedian Ary Abittan, whose show had been disrupted the previous night by feminist activists accusing him of rape. Macron’s team insists her remark targeted the protesters’ “radical method,” not women in general, but backlash arrived fast.
In the clip, filmed Sunday at Paris’s Folies Bergère, Macron chats with Abittan before he goes on stage. When he admits he feels nervous after activists interrupted his previous performance wearing “rapist” masks and chanting “Abittan, rapist!”, Macron responds: “If there are any stupid bitches, we’ll kick them out.”
Abittan was accused of rape in 2021; the case was dropped in 2023 for lack of evidence.
The feminist collective Nous Toutes, which organised the disruption, flipped Macron’s insult into a rallying cry, #sallesconnes, and supporters flooded social media with the hashtag. Actor Judith Godreche, now a central voice in France’s #MeToo reckoning, posted: “We too are stupid bitches.”
One activist involved, using the pseudonym Gwen, said they were “profoundly shocked and scandalised,” calling Macron’s remark “yet another insult to victims and feminist groups.”
The first lady’s office pushed back, framing her comment as “a critique of the radical method” used by protesters. But political opponents, especially on France’s left, say she crossed a line. Former President François Hollande summed up the sentiment:
“There’s a problem of vulgarity.”
The flare-up lands amid a broader cultural reckoning in France, where prominent figures, from film icons to directors, have faced sexual assault accusations. Depardieu’s recent conviction and ongoing rape trial only sharpened the spotlight.
The latest news in your social feeds
Subscribe to our social media platforms to stay tuned