Credits: Julien Morvan / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 3.0.
The return of Matthieu Delormeau on Tout beau, tout n9uf on W9 (M6 group), on September 1, 2025 in Paris, revives a question: what becomes of vulnerable people when television puts them back at the center of the game? Between addiction, exposure, and controversy, the former TPMP commentator of Cyril Hanouna facing Hanouna on W9. This face-off, welcomed by the audience, raises questions about our media practices: protection or spectacle?
The Facts: A Television Comeback With Heavy Symbolic Weight
On September 1, 2025, Matthieu Delormeau made a brief appearance on Tout beau, tout n9uf on W9 (M6 group), welcomed by Cyril Hanouna on W9. The sequence, marked by an embrace and the announcement of a possible return as a columnist, comes after two difficult years. Indeed, the former face of TPMP live was detained in July 2024. In addition, he was detained again in February 2025 for buying cocaine. In addition, he received a therapeutic injunction followed by a fine through a criminal order. It also comes after the broadcast of a recording. Indeed, the host can be heard threatening his former colleague off air.
This montage of images and memories, condensed at the end of the show, sparked lively online commentary. Beyond the TV moment, it puts back at the forefront an old question: how does broadcasting treat vulnerable people when ratings are there?
Addiction and Media Exposure: Avoiding the “Storyline” Logic
Addiction is a health condition, not a narrative arc. The long haul of treatment, including detox, relapse, and recovery, fits poorly with television timing. Indeed, television thrives on instant confessions and plot twists. The challenge for newsrooms is to inform without turning it into a spectacle, to provide context without moralizing.
On air, the ideal is to combine testimony and education. It is necessary to define what a “substance use disorder” is. In addition, it is important to remember that trajectories are nonlinear. Finally, it is advisable to avoid any oversimplified hierarchy among substances. The clarity of this framework protects the viewer by giving them reliable information. It also protects the person speaking. Indeed, it spares them from having to perform confession.
Minorities and a “Double Jeopardy”: Exposure and Compounded Vulnerabilities
In the media space, sexual orientation remains a marker that draws attention. For LGBTQ+ people, visibility is often accompanied by an increased risk of hate speech and cyberbullying. When a situation of fragility—addiction here—overlaps with it, the cumulative effect is real: comments shift from information to identity, fueling stigma and prejudice.
This reality calls for particular vigilance: it is necessary to ensure the moderation of social spaces affiliated with programs. In addition, a reminder of the rules against discriminatory remarks is necessary. Finally, care must be taken with the language chosen on air. The goal is not to shield a guest from criticism, but to ensure that criticism targets facts. It is also important that it not target who they are.
What the Law and Ethics Say
The French framework rests on a few constant principles: human dignity, non-discrimination, program honesty, and pluralism. These requirements apply on air as well as behind the scenes. They call for banning humiliating staging and for contextualizing sensitive information such as health and legal matters. Furthermore, it is essential to avoid conflating a person with their group affiliation.
Without turning entertainment shows into seminars, these guidelines are compatible with a lively format. Indeed, they call for sober production choices and measured follow-ups. In addition, if there is to be explanation, it is better to choose concise education rather than drama.
The “Off-Air” Precedent: Workplace Safety and Responsibility
The off-air revelations reminded everyone of an obvious fact: a set is also a workplace. As such, it must provide a safe environment, prevent harassment, and allow reporting in the event of misconduct. “Event” returns cannot escape this reality. For a vulnerable guest, the stability of the setting is essential. Indeed, schedules and speaking time are key elements. In addition, identified contacts provide both protection and professionalism.
Words Matter
Some terms—“junkie,” “depraved”—disqualify and reduce. Banning them is not a matter of politeness, but of precision. Talking about care, support, and recovery makes it possible to describe situations without imposing a moral judgment on them. Likewise, distinguishing use, misuse, and dependence clarifies the issue without judging the person. It is at this lexical and concrete level that part of the quality of information is at stake.
Why This Episode Goes Beyond the “Delormeau Case” Alone
It condenses all the tensions of the TV ecosystem. Indeed, this includes the pursuit of ratings and the trap of buzz. In addition, there is a porosity between work and social media. Moreover, protection mechanisms for vulnerable profiles are weak. This concerns guests, columnists, and technicians alike. It challenges our collective way of watching. Indeed, the viewer becomes an actor in someone else’s public trajectory. This happens through their comments, shares, and mockery. In addition, their support also plays an important role.
Watching Without Causing Harm
The television return of Matthieu Delormeau concentrates tensions that run through broadcasting: the quest for ratings, the narrativization of private life, the overlap with social media, and the insufficient consideration of individual vulnerabilities. The issue is not to choose between compassion and blame, but to hold together two requirements: informing and doing no harm.
This course requires a distance from the spectacular, a thoughtful choice of words, attention to marginalized people and to the framework in which they speak. It is up to networks to take that on, and for audiences to demand it. Television must remain a common good. To do that, it will benefit from looking at these vulnerabilities humanely. However, it is crucial not to turn them into spectacle.