Cyril Hanouna

Cyril Valéry Isaac Hanouna was born on September 23, 1974, in Paris to Tunisian Jewish parents—a father who was a general practitioner and a mother who worked in sales. Initially following in his father’s footsteps, he studied medicine but struggled academically. He then pivoted to management with the aim of becoming a chartered accountant, though he ultimately left his studies behind.

Hanouna’s media career began in 1999 on Comédie+, where he wrote trailer lyrics. By 2002, he co-hosted the third season of *La Grosse Émission* alongside the comedy duo Kad et Olivier. That same year, he joined RTL Radio for *Planet Arthur* with Manu Levy and Valérie Bénaïm, and in 2003, he hosted M6’s morning show *Morning Live*.

He became a fixture of the Eurovision Song Contest in 2008, presenting French tele-votes, followed by commentary duties in 2009 and 2010 alongside Julien Courbet and Stéphane Bern. Hanouna is best known for hosting *Touche Pas à Mon Poste*, which aired on France 4 until 2012 before moving to D8 (later C8). He also hosted *Nouvelle Star*, France’s version of *Pop Idol*.

In 2011, he appeared in *La Vérité si je mens! 3*. Hanouna now runs H2O Production, his own entertainment company, producing top shows for C8 and other Vincent Bolloré-owned channels. In 2015, Bolloré invested €250 million to retain him. In 2019, Hanouna proposed a TV show co-hosted with a politician to address citizen concerns amid the yellow vests movement.

Despite his success, he has received satirical awards from *Gérards de la Télévision*, including “