Julien Lacroix’s agency, Groupe Phaneuf, received an allegation of misconduct against him in 2017, which led to an intervention with him. The agency has no ties to the comedian since Monday, after nine women testified at Duty allegations of assault or sexual misconduct, while he suspended his current projects and public access to his various accounts on social networks.
“We received an email from a mother in 2017 reporting inappropriate behavior on the part of Julien with regard to his daughter and, on the spot, we had discussions with this person- there and we apologized, ”says Véronique Bigras, communications manager at Groupe Phaneuf. The email, which we have obtained a copy, reports among other things the words “very ordinary” and “offensive”, according to its author, Julien Lacroix when his daughter had crossed the comedian by chance in a bar. She also mentions a “wet beak by force”, an allegation raised and corroborated by The duty in the text published Monday morning.
The agency claims to have met the comedian to make him aware of the situation and ensures that this is the only event brought to her attention during the three years she represented the comedian, from 2017 to 2020.
The Phaneuf Group said it was shaken by the allegations of sexual assault and misconduct reported Monday by The duty. “We do not tolerate these actions at Phaneuf”, says Mme Bigras. “The thing we did for Julien, when we learned that an article was being written, was to strongly suggest that he hire a lawyer, which he did. That was advice he was given, but Groupe Phaneuf is not involved in his defense at all, it is he who defends himself alone. “
Julien Lacroix reacts on Facebook
The comedian strongly defended himself in a Facebook message published Monday morning, before his account became inaccessible to the public at the end of the afternoon. “I am not an angel, but not a demon either, and certainly not the sexual predator that has plagued the decade as The duty described me, ”he wrote.
The winner of four Olivier also maintains in his message to have “done bullshit in [sa] short life “, but considers for his part not to have” been able to give [sa] Version of events “.
Julien Lacroix did not accept our repeated requests for an interview which would have allowed him to have access to the detailed information obtained from our sources and to comment on them. Rather, he asked for that detailed information, including the names of our sources, before deciding whether to grant us an interview. Faced with a descriptive list of the events related in our pages, he let it be known that he considers that it conceals unfounded and defamatory allegations.
“I have no choice but to take a step back from all the projects with which I am associated, as well as from my management and production team, then to think about the remedies available to me”, a continued the humorist in his message.
Removing videos
His name has been removed from the programming of the next comedy evenings Parallel Project in which he was to participate on 1is August at the Vieux Clocher in Magog and August 15 at L’Étoile in Brossard. “A comedian to be confirmed” must replace him. His show So far, so good is however still showing.
The Bordel Comédie Club no longer wishes to include the comedian in its programming. “Julien Lacroix will not play at the Bordel, that’s for sure,” says comedian and co-owner Charles Deschamps, who is currently in charge of programming.
He specifies that “big discussions” with the other owners of the comedy cabaret are planned in the coming days to react appropriately to the wave of denunciations which has swept over social networks in recent weeks, taking away several comedians. “It is very possible that we cross other names of the Brothel,” he notes.
In the wake of the allegations, several broadcasters have also withdrawn from their platform projects carried out with the participation of Julien Lacroix in recent years.
All episodes of the first season of the educational web series We talk about sex were thus “temporarily withdrawn” from the Télé-Québec website on Monday, “because of the allegations weighing against Julien Lacroix and the young audience to which these capsules are addressed”, specifies a spokesperson for Télé-Québec, Danielle Brassard . The comedian tackled with humor subjects related to sexual relations in adolescence, with the collaboration of Rosalie Vaillancourt.
Radio-Canada, for its part, removed from its ICI Tou.tv platform interviews or individual performances by the comedian, including the episode of 1res time from March 5, 2020. The webseries Project 2000 and The wonders, to which he collaborated, will remain on the platform “so as not to penalize all the artists and craftsmen who are part of it”.
Bell Media has followed suit with the public broadcaster by removing individual appearances by Julien Lacroix from its platforms. Other shows, like Code G to VRAK, will also remain available.
Desjardins also removed all the videos in which Julien Lacroix appeared, produced as part of various advertising campaigns, the last of which dates back to March.
In addition to his Facebook page, the comedian’s YouTube channel and his Instagram account became inaccessible at the end of the day on Monday.
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