Two days after the first round of the 2026 municipal elections, media personalities experienced varying fortunes at the polls, proving that fame doesn’t always work miracles in politics.
If some familiar faces from the small screen hoped to turn their notoriety into electoral victory on Sunday, March 15, 2026, the reality on the ground was much more nuanced. Between local roots rewarded and atypical candidacies swiftly brushed aside, voters made their decisions without complacency. This election proves that visual promises don’t always suffice to attract citizens. Let’s take a look back at an eventful election night for our national stars.
Stéphane Bern dominates in his Perche stronghold
Stéphane Bern emerges as the big winner of this election. The star presenter of “Secrets d’Histoire” was re-elected as a councilor in Thiron-Gardais (Eure-et-Loir) in the first round with 100% of the votes on his label-free list “Together for the future,” as revealed by TV Magazine. A total victory, undoubtedly facilitated by the absence of opposition but mainly honoring his deep commitment in this rural town where he patiently restored the former royal and military college.
This long-standing anchorage is not new. Already in a partial election in 2024, due to a wave of resignations, he swept the victory with 97.3% of the votes, proving the seriousness of his establishment. “I want to be useful to the town and to the heritage,” he confided to Le Parisien at that time.
Our colleagues inform us that Jérémy Molas, alias “the Catalan” in “Koh-Lanta: la revanche des 4 terres,” achieved the same feat, being the only candidate for mayor of Arles-sur-Tech, a small town of about 2200 inhabitants near Perpignan.
Electoral disillusion for Rémi Gaillard in Montpellier
In contrast, the magic of social networks did not work for Rémi Gaillard. The famous Montpellier troublemaker and ardent defender of animal rights only received 8.21% of the votes with his ironically named list “Yes we clown.” Unable to cross the minimum threshold of 10% required to hope for the second round, he heavily lost to the incumbent mayor Michaël Delafosse.
Despite his millions of views online and a campaign focused on ending animal suffering, the comedian stagnates compared to his 2020 score of 9.58%. This setback confirms his evident difficulties in expanding his electorate beyond a simple protest vote.
Bruno Gaccio faces a disastrous defeat against Rachida Dati
The landing was equally harsh for Bruno Gaccio in the capital. The former emblematic writer of “Les Guignols de l’info,” running under the label La France insoumise (LFI), tried to shake up the very chic 7th arrondissement of Paris. The verdict from the ballot boxes was clear: a marginal score of 3.48%, crushed by Rachida Dati’s immediate re-election with over 58%.
His strategy based on humorous provocation and derision evidently did not resonate with the residents of the left bank. Before the vote, he even joked about the absurdity of his own candidacy: “Any score above zero, a victory,” he ironically declared to Le Parisien last January.
Those qualified for the second round
Olivier Galzi, former anchor of France 2’s 8 p.m. news, collected 27% of the votes in the race for mayor of Avignon. He arrived at the top of the first round “with a diverse right list, supported by UDI and Horizons.” A major name in television, Patrick de Carolis, former presenter of “Des racines et des ailes” on France 3 and current mayor of Arles, is in a favorable position for re-election, garnering 34% of the votes with Horizons. Finally, Gérard Holtz and Denise Fabre, present on Christian Estrosi’s Horizons list in Nice, are struggling against Eric Ciotti, with 30.92% of the votes in the first round.
Visual notoriety versus the harsh reality of the ballot boxes
These results depict a real divide in the political landscape. The example of Stéphane Bern highlights that a strong public image attracts voters when accompanied by concrete and tangible local investment.
In contrast, digital buzz or castings against type quickly reveal their structural limitations. The resounding failures of Rémi Gaillard and Bruno Gaccio prove that celebrity fades quickly in front of the weight of partisan labels and the need to build a real local project to convince on a Sunday in March.
Sources: Le Figaro/TV Magazine
