Targeted by allegations of sexual misconduct by eight women, comedian Philippe Bond, who withdrew from public life after a La Presse investigation was published on Thursday, had been blacklisted by major cultural organizations for several years.
• Also read: Philippe Bond case: A complainant was contacted by Gatineau Police
• Also read: Sexual misconduct allegations: Bell Media’s Philippe Bond fired
The two giants of Quebec humor, the Just for Laughs Group and ComediHa!, as well as one of the main television producers, Guillaume Lespérance (Tout le monde en parle, Bye Bye), have announced that they have stopped, or at least their collaboration with the fallen artist significantly reduced.
“We haven’t worked with Philippe Bond for a while. In fact, people back home trusted us and expressed their unease about working with Mr. Bond,” said François Lapointe, ComediHa!’s first vice president and chief operating officer, in a statement sent to the journal.
On the airwaves of 98.5 FM, Just for Laughs Group’s vice president of French content, Patrick Rozon, also revealed on Thursday that the organization had already started banning Bond from its programming since 2020, based on rumors circulating it.
“We heard him, and what happened was that he was quieter in the programming. And we made that choice.”
Producer Guillaume Lespérance said on Twitter that he had refused to hire Philippe Bond for his projects “for several years”.
“This morning’s article [jeudi] explains this decision,” he said, paying tribute to the courage of the victims.
I have refused to have Philippe Bond in my productions for SEVERAL years. This morning’s article explains that decision. Courage for the victims and respect for the journalists ❤️🙌
— Guillaume Lesperance + (@glesperance) July 21, 2022
In La Presse, between 2006 and 2015, eight women denounced various forms of sexual misconduct, ranging from fondling to forced fellatio (see other text opposite) to a non-consensual sexual relationship to which Bond allegedly subjected them.
Half of them testified openly.
On July 1, while recording a podcast at the Emerging Humor Festival in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, comedian Thomas Levac accused Bond of being a rapist. When the clip went viral on the internet, Bond maintained his innocence and threatened to sue Levac.
On Thursday morning, however, he put his career on hold. In a statement posted to Instagram, Bond announced that he was ending his show tour and no longer hosting the C’t’encorefunny show at Énergie “out of respect for my staff and my employers”.
“I have to protect and care for my loved ones, but most of all I have to be there for my children and my wife. Thinking about what they’re going through with me upsets me because there’s nothing more important to me than them,” he shared.
With the exception of this Instagram post, Philippe Bond has deleted all traces of his presence on social networks and closed his official website.
For its part, Bell Media has ended its business relationship with the comedian. In an email sent to the journal by its public relations department, Bell Media indicates that Philippe Bond “will no longer be part of the radio program”.
“We will also suspend the broadcast of his interviews and individual appearances across all of our platforms,” the company adds.
For its part, evenko has announced that the Philippe Bond show tour has been canceled and that ticket holders will be reimbursed.
The comedian is not currently facing criminal charges.
– With Raphaël Gendron-Martin
Comedian and author Kim Lévesque-Lizotte also reacted on her personal Facebook page: Questioning yourself in a timely manner, on time and on the spot, seeking help, admitting your wrongs to those around you, that would be a lot of waste, additional victims, collateral victims avoid , media chaos, victims having to open their guts publicly by describing their traumas so that there is finally a moment when people can be exposed and a sense of justice and redemption from it all can overwhelm.”
– Raphael Gendron-Martin
Mike Ward made the decision a few years ago to stop inviting Philippe Bond to his podcast Under the Wire because his name was on a list of potential abusers online. “I just did it so we wouldn’t feel uncomfortable,” he told the Journal, adding that other comedians weren’t invited either. “We didn’t ban anyone who didn’t do anything.” When asked if the comedy community was sick, Mike Ward said no, referring to the Gilbert Rozon, Julien Lacroix and Philippe Bond scandals. “But we’ll clean up, I think. [des personnes aux comportements répréhensibles].” Although the content of his Friday night show at the Bell Center isn’t set in advance, Mike Ward hinted that he and his guests will most likely be onstage to talk about the Bond affair.
– Raphael Gendron-Martin
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