Brigitte Bardot breaks her media silence to defend Gérard Depardieu and Nicolas Bedos, both accused of sexual assault. The former actress also denounces feminism and reignites her long-standing campaign against hunting with hounds.
“Feminism isn’t my thing. I like men,” said Brigitte Bardot in a televised interview with BFMTV on Monday — her first TV appearance in 11 years. During the interview, she voiced support for actors Nicolas Bedos and Gérard Depardieu, both facing allegations of sexual assault.
The former French cinema icon, who retired from acting over fifty years ago, argued, “Those who are talented and grab a girl’s butt end up thrown into the deepest pit.”
“At the very least, we could let them go on living. They can’t live anymore,” she added from her home in Saint-Tropez.
When reminded that justice must take its course, Bardot replied, “After what happened to them, they won’t find much work.”
This is not the first time Bardot has taken a strong anti-feminist stance. Back in 2018, during the height of the MeToo movement and in the wake of the Weinstein scandal, she criticized the wave of actresses speaking out against sexual harassment, calling it “hypocritical, ridiculous, and pointless.”
French actor and filmmaker Nicolas Bedos was sentenced in October to one year in prison — six months suspended — for sexually assaulting two women in 2023.
Gérard Depardieu is currently on trial for allegedly assaulting two women during a 2021 film shoot. A verdict is expected on Tuesday. In late March, prosecutors requested an 18-month suspended sentence, stating the assaults were intentional.
Over the past several years, around twenty women have accused Depardieu of sexual misconduct. Many of those cases were dropped due to the statute of limitations. In 2018, actress Charlotte Arnould filed a rape complaint. Paris prosecutors have since requested a criminal trial.
Hunting with hounds: Bardot sends hearing aid to Macron to be heard
A tireless defender of animal rights, Brigitte Bardot used the interview to renew her battle against hunting with hounds. She sent an open letter to President Emmanuel Macron, High Commissioner François Bayrou, and members of parliament, calling the practice “cruel and inhumane” and urging its abolition in France.
“I want hunting with hounds banned. It’s horrific,” she said, frustrated after 50 years of unanswered appeals. To make her point, she mailed a hearing aid to the Élysée Palace, along with the message: “The Brigitte Bardot Foundation offers you a way to hear our demands.”
She emphasized that the time has come to end this centuries-old tradition still practiced by around 10,000 people in France. “It’s never too late to do the right thing,” Bardot declared.
With AFP
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