Fall of Just for Laughs founder forces new comedy routine
After allegations leave festival’s future up for debate, industry is figuring out where to go next
MONTREAL— When Quebecers think of comedy they think of Gilbert Rozon.
That has been true since 1983, when Rozon founded the world-famous Just for Laughs festival. It is a vehicle that launched the comedic careers of many in this province and gave him the stature of a pre-scandal Harvey Weinstein in Quebec’s humour industry.
But after allegations emerged of sexual harassment, inappropriate touching and rape involving Rozon, he became the Weinstein of Quebec in an entirely different way.
One comedian, François Morency, responded to the allegations on Facebook, saying that he had been involved in Just for Laughs since 1993 and credited its platform for his success. But the scandal that rocked the humour industry in Quebec illustrated that “the show business is one of illusions.”
“It’s a little world that often leaves the impression that we all know each other,” he wrote.
“We do, but we don’t know each other as much as we thought, clearly.”
The impresario’s fall has been swift. With a late-night statement on Oct. 18, just before publication of a newspaper report in which nine women recounted their experiences, Rozon resigned as president of Just for Laughs, as vicepresident of Montreal’s chamber of commerce and commissioner of the city’s 375th anniversary celebrations.
He lost his spot on the television show Dans l’oeil du dragon, Radio-Canada’s version of the CBC show Dragons’ Den, as well as a high-profile judging gig on a TV talent show in France.
But Rozon continues to be the defining feature on Quebec’s comedic landscape. His absence has been felt just as much as was his presence.
No one is complaining about the swift fall of a man who has not yet been charged with any crime. But turning the lights off on him has left a thriving industry in this province to feel its way forward in the dark.
Guy Lévesque, president of Quebec’s comedy industry association, l’Association des professionnels de l’industrie de l’humour, said the social-media movement that contributed to the Rozon allegations coming to light was great for ending the culture of silence among Quebec’s entertainment class.
“The bad side is the speed at which everything is moving. It’s like we don’t even have the time to think things through,” he said.
The biggest concern has been the fate of the Just for Laughs empire. Rozon’s majority stake in the company is up for sale and there are said to be seven potential buyers.
But there is a double discomfort reigning over the buyout of Rozon’s shares. One is about paying millions of dollars to a pariah. The other is the risk of putting a once-cherished French-Canadian success story in foreign hands.
The terms of the sale or the prices being sought and offered have not been disclosed, but Just for Laughs is an international brand whose potential fire sale will have registered across the globe.
“It is essential that control of Just for Laughs remains in Quebec,” Quebec City-based company ComediHa! said in a recent statement expressing its interest in buying Rozon’s shares.
The artists and technicians in this province who have relied on Rozon’s business savvy for large chunks of their livelihood have been balancing professional worries against personal outrage.
One comedian, François Massicotte, vowed after the allegations came out that he was finished with the company.
“Gilbert Rozon won’t make another cent off me,” he said.
It was the expression of a feeling that many shared. But coming up with a practical alternative has taken some time.
The reality is that it is the performers and the ticket sales they draw that give Just for Laughs its value. Staying in the company’s talent stable only ensures Rozon will get a decent price for his stake.
Performers held several meetings at a Montreal comedy club to discuss the way forward and settled this week on setting up a rival festival.
As one performer, Jean-François Mercier, told a radio interviewer, the new Festival du rire de Montréal is an attempt to supplant the wellestablished summer comedy draw.
“Is there going to be another Just for Laughs festival? We don’t really think so,” Mercier told Énergie 94.3 FM. “The production company is another thing, but the Just for Laughs festival is pretty much dead.”
In a statement, the Just for Laughs company said it continued to have “unparalleled influence” around the world and has no intention of ending its annual comedy festival in Montreal.
“It was unfortunate to learn that some Quebec artists have chosen to create their own event,” the statement read. “That being said, they have a right to create a new platform for their art.”
Led by big Quebecois names such as Martin Petit, François Bellefeuille, Cathy Gauthier and Mike Ward, among numerous others, it is being pitched as “good news that will reassure some, relieve others and signal the start of a new era.”
It will be run as a non-profit with a strict ethical regime, including social responsibility, equal pay and a respectful environment for all performers.
But there are still many unanswered questions, about its timing, its funding and its ambitions in going up against the hobbled giant created by Rozon, Lévesque said.
“We can’t hide the fact that if there wasn’t the damage to the Just for Laughs business and its reputation, we wouldn’t be talking about this today.” En Scène is a monthly column on Quebec culture. Email: awoods@thestar.ca