Jean-Luc Lemoine will no longer host " Samedi d'en rire" on France 3. After seven seasons at the helm of the show, the presenter has just recounted the particularly brutal circumstances surrounding his departure: France Télévisions and the production company decided to continue the program with someone else, but no one had informed him. He claims to have learned of his dismissal through the media. Jean-Luc Lemoine is not trying to downplay this tactic. In a lengthy Instagram post, he describes his shock and bitterness, especially since just a few days earlier he thought he was preparing the program's eighth season.
"They forgot to call me to tell me."
Jean-Luc Lemoine places the announcement at the end of June. "I learned abruptly that the 'Samedi d'en rire' adventure was over for me. It wasn't my decision ," he explains. The hardest thing for the host to accept is how he found out. He says he learned of his departure through information published online, before taking a particularly pointed jab at those who had decided on his dismissal: "Apparently, they forgot to call me to tell me. Or maybe they don't have my number anymore." After seven seasons hosting the program, Jean-Luc Lemoine believes that direct contact would have been the least they could do. "I won't hide from you that after seven seasons of total commitment, during which we were also fortunate enough to achieve success, a quick phone call would have been appreciated."
Just a few days earlier, people were still talking to him about the eighth season.
The surprise is all the greater because Jean-Luc Lemoine insists that he had received no warning whatsoever about his departure. On the contrary, the presenter explains that he was still being approached to help prepare the next season of the show. " Over time, I've started to gain some experience in the media, but frankly, I've never seen anything like this ," he writes. According to him, just before the announcement of his dismissal, the production manager had called him to schedule the first filming session for the eighth season. Jean-Luc Lemoine therefore thought he would be returning for another year. A few days later, he discovered that he would no longer be part of the program.
"The show isn't ending, but it will be without me."
This is not, in fact, the end of " Samedi d'en rire" (Saturday of Laughter ). The program will continue on France 3, but with a new host. Jean-Luc Lemoine insists on this point: his departure is not linked to the show's cancellation or a drop in ratings : "Because yes, the show isn't ending, since the ratings are very good, as evidenced by the move to broadcasting four consecutive episodes on Saturdays, compared to just one in the first season, but it will be without me." The seventh season was still airing this summer on France 3, with several episodes broadcast consecutively on certain Saturdays. Jean-Luc Lemoine is therefore leaving a show that continues to hold an important place in the channel's schedule.
France Télévisions and the production company have chosen to continue without him.
The presenter offered no explanation for his replacement and claimed not to know the reasons. He simply confirmed that the decision came from the production company and France Télévisions : "The show's production team and France Télévisions decided to continue with someone else for their own reasons. So it's no longer my concern." Jean-Luc Lemoine therefore does not dispute the channel's and production company's right to change presenters. It is the way in which this decision was announced to him, or rather, the lack of direct communication, that has angered him.
Seven years at the helm of "Samedi d'en rire"
Launched in 2019 on France 3, Samedi d'en rire (Saturday of Laughter) succeeded Les Grands du rire ( The Greats of Laughter ). Jean-Luc Lemoine was joined by, among others, Nadège Beausson-Diagne, Marc Toesca, and Yoann Riou. The program blends television archives, humor, music, memories, and studio segments. Over the seasons, the show's place in the schedule grew. Jean-Luc Lemoine himself points out that filming became increasingly intensive to meet budgetary constraints and the increased number of episodes broadcast. Despite these conditions, he describes seven years without conflict within his team. "Each shoot took place in a rare harmony. 'The four of us got along really well,' as they say." He mentions busy days but assures that there was "never a raised voice ," only many "bursts of laughter . "
Anger over the method, but warm farewells to his team
While he clearly addresses the circumstances of his dismissal, Jean-Luc Lemoine distinguishes this decision from the seven years he spent with his on-air colleagues and the show's production team. He describes particularly relaxed recording sessions, where the camaraderie between the participants far exceeded what viewers saw on screen. According to him, the decision to prioritize archival footage in the final edit prevented all the moments of laughter and shared experience from being shown on set.
“I’ve rarely experienced such relaxed and joyful recordings ,” he confides, before summarizing the spirit of the program: “We were simply happy to get together and share some old tracks with you, like friends listening to their best records.” Jean-Luc Lemoine is thus leaving Samedi d’en rire after seven seasons, following a split whose method he openly contests. While he was still preparing to film an eighth season, the host discovered through the media that France Télévisions and the production company had chosen to continue the show without him. A decision he accepts, but a way of doing things he is clearly not about to forget.
