Emmanuel Macron interviewed people with autism for Rencontres du Papotin

On Mondays, the Arab World Institute is closed to the public. But he receives distinguished guests. This November 28 morning, Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron went there. A very good shot for France 2, which is filming Rencontres du Papotin there. The President of the Republic agreed to answer questions from these lay journalists with autism spectrum disorders. “Emmanuel Macron has an impressive form of presence and humanity in such a situation. It was just brilliant,” says Jack Lang, IMA president, who crossed the border shortly afterward and is hosting the shoot.

True, the atmosphere of “kindness and openness” was preserved and everyone’s schedule was a little off. A quick lunch at the museum brought together Papotin’s team, the presidential couple and France Télévisions president Delphine Ernott. Directors Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache, who proposed and created this television version of the Papotin magazine created in 1990, were also ready for this somewhat special issue. A friendly atmosphere, which Emmanuel Macron expanded by postponing his departure. The members largely immortalized this moment on their laptops. The program with the head of state should be aired in December, after the end of the World Cup.

Disarming and intense frankness

Even without the Head of State, the “Papoten Meetings”, which give a completely new tone to the TV interviews, thanks to the disarming and intense frankness of these journalists, like no other, often more direct and unexpected, create an event from the very beginning. The school year starts once a month on Saturday evening. The first part with Gilles Lellouche on September 3 won 3.3 million viewers, or 20% of the public, on La Deux. Then the audience of the second issue with Camille Kottin stopped a little: the meeting had 2.7 million subscribers (14.6%). The last interview with Julien Doré, for its part, attracted 3.1 million fans, or 16% of the public.

After Emmanuel Macron, back to the artists: Josian Balasco will come and talk to the Papotin staff for the recording in December. And they would have approached Jean Dujardin.