Bruel affair: Many stars have long been able to commit the worst with complete impunity… Who protects the place of “great men”?

Singer Patrick Bruel at the heart of a legal investigation in Belgium for sexual assault on the premises of RTBF

Could Bruel’s fortune have protected him?

A feeling of omnipotence undeniably reinforced by Patrick Bruel’s ecosystem. Star of an entire generation, the singer and actor had a fortune of 36 to 55 million euros in 2025, the result of 15 million albums sold since his debut, film fees, concerts, a large real estate portfolio and a passion for poker. Enough to keep in silence those who gravitate around the idol.

Other voices, those of witnesses or victims, were stifled by the influence of Patrick Bruel. Like American producer Harvey Weinstein, denouncing these actions involves taking the risk of personal or professional repercussions.

Why are stars often spared?

This hierarchical domination, arising from an asymmetry of power, promotes impunity for perpetrators in closed environments. Depardieu, Lahaye, Matzneff, Strauss-Kahn, Poivre d’Arvor, Abittan, Polanski, Cauet are other examples.

Mais l’interprète de Place of great men will also have been protected by the unwavering attachment of his fans. A public, particularly female, who, for some, are still doubtful, refusing to imagine him guilty, preferring to denounce a manhunt in the era of Metoo.

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