Since the 1980s, Bernard Montiel has established himself as a familiar face on the small screen, hosting successful entertainment programs. On TF1, he hosts popular shows like “Vidéo Gag” and “Une famille en or,” both of which have left a mark on viewers. However, after more than fifteen years of collaboration with the channel, this privileged relationship began to deteriorate in the early 2000s, amidst tensions and disagreements that eventually led to a sudden breakup. An episode that he says he struggled to cope with as he revealed on Saturday, April 25th on RTL in “On refait la télé.”
Bernard Montiel: A feeling of betrayal at his departure from TF1 Looking back, Bernard Montiel retains a bitter memory of the end of his journey with TF1. The host recalls a cinema show project he planned to launch on LCI: “I was supposed to host a cinema show on LCI. And they always refused me, they led me on… I had the title and everything! And when I returned from a festival, I read in the press that the show was happening with another person, using my concept!” A brutal discovery: “I was shocked, I lost my voice for six months. It was a terrible drama.”
A disillusionment fueling a sense of betrayal: at the time, his public criticisms of TF1 and his own show “Vidéo Gag” on RMC only heightened tensions. He had declared: “It’s a show I didn’t watch. But, well, I plant my big butt on the benches and I make a lot of money. I’m happy!” “At a point, you feel mistreated. I was very angry to have been betrayed… And then, a huge void in my life,” he adds today.
A journey through the desert before the rebound His statements quickly provoked a reaction from the channel. Bernard Montiel recalls a call from Étienne Mougeotte: “Well Bernard, I’m sorry, it’s all over the place with everything you’ve said. Damn it, why did you say all that, damn it! I have to fire you…” A brutal eviction that marked the beginning of a particularly difficult period. “I was ready to completely change careers. I was rejected everywhere, the big bosses were talking to each other… I was lost,” he reveals. After this desert crossing, the host eventually bounced back the following year on TMC, before continuing his career on radio and television, notably as a columnist alongside Cyril Hanouna before leaving the group in 2025.
