The daughter of Brigitte Macron is reportedly dating a hard-right ‘shock jock’ who blames the French president – her step-father – for taking his show off the air.
Tiphaine Auzière, 41, is believed to be romantically involved with Cyril Hanouna, 50, the former host of Don’t Touch My TV Set (TPMP), the Daily Telegraph reported.
The sensationalist talk show, which regularly campaigned for hard-right candidates and gave a voice to members of the Yellow Vests protesters, ceased broadcasting following the closure of channel C8 on February 28.
The channel was shuttered after French media watchdog Arcom decided not to renew its 10-year licence, accusing it of repeatedly failing to respect human rights and protect minors – a decision upheld by France’s top administrative court.
However, Mr Hanouna has accused Emmanuel Macron of playing a part in the show’s cancellation – with some even suggesting his decision to date Ms Auzière is driven by a desire for revenge.
The pair are said to have met when Mr Hanouna – whose nickname is Baba – invited Ms Auzière on to his show as a legal expert.
The supposed romance was broken by celebrity magazine Paris Splash, which posted a photograph on the front page of the pair spotted together at an upmarket restaurant in the 8th arrondissement of the French capital.
The news of the couple’s romance is said to have shocked the Presidential Palace.
Lawyer and novelist Tiphaine Auzière, 41, (pictured in 2022) is the daughter of French first lady Brigitte Macron
Ms Auziere is reportedly dating Cyril Hanouna, 50, the bearded ‘bad boy’ of French television who regularly hosted hard-right guests on his hit show Don’t Touch My TV Set
News of the relationship is said to have shocked the Presidential Palace, although Ms Macron (left) is said to have been supportive
The magazine called the whirlwind romance ‘a beautiful story, more than a passing fling’ and claimed that Ms Auzière had come clean about her ‘blossoming love story’ to her mother earlier this month.
Ms Auzière is a lawyer and writer, who published her first novel in 2024.
She is the mother of two children, aged eight and nine, with consultant physician Antoine Choteau, although it is thought the couple broke things off in January this year.
Neither Mr Macron nor his wife have offered any comment about the reported romance.
C8, the network that Mr Hanouna broadcast his show on, is part of the Canal+ group owned by conservative billionaire and Vincent Bollore’s media conglomerate Vivendi.
The decision not to renew its license caused outrage among the French right, who accused the French media watchdog of an attack on free speech, with Marine Le Pen, leader of the hard-Right National Rally, lambasting the move as an act of ‘political censorship’.
However Mr Macron denied that it was a ‘political decision’ and said he had no part to play in the choice not to renew the license.
Mr Hanouna did briefly move the show online for three weeks, before eventually bowing out.
Speaking at the end of his final web show, he said: ‘I know I did my best to stay with you as long as possible. And it was a huge success.
Mr Hanouna’s show was taken off the air after French media watchdog Arcom decided not to renew the licence of C8, the channel it ran on
Ms Auziere pictured in 2022. She is said to have met Mr Hanouna – whose nickname is Baba – when he invited her on to his show as a legal expert
Brigitte Macron (right), wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, and her daughter Tiphaine Auziere (left) pose as they leave a polling station in 2017
‘We were the number one talk show host thanks to you, every night, we did our best. Know that we’ll continue to do our best all the time.’
While the romance between the French president’s step-daughter and the bad boy TV host is the talk of the town, some believe the timing is too suspicious for it to be authentic.
Le Point magazine quoted a source close to Mr Hanouna who cast doubt on the relationship.
They said: ‘There are no revealing photos in the report. And frankly, Cyril very often invites certain members of the team to dinner in the evening, after the show, it’s his habit. It’s nothing new.’
Another source noted that the duo left the restaurant separately and said that the TV personality seemed ‘more intent on eating his pasta’ then making romantic overtures to his supposed love interest.
Users on social media also floated the theory that the entire relationship was confected to distract viewers’ attention away from a newly-released 2023 recording of him allegedly insulting and threatening violence towards a columnist on his show.
