Jean-Michel Aphatie

Jean-Michel Aphatie (born 8 September 1958 in Moncayolle-Larrory-Mendibieu, Pyrénées-Atlantiques), is a French political journalist.

He worked mainly on RTL radio from 2003 to 2015, while also being a political commentator on Le Grand Journal on Canal+ from 2006 to 2015. He then worked successively for the radios Europe 1, France Info, and then returned to Europe 1. In 2019, he joined LCI as an editorialist for the channel's morning show.

Starting from 4 September 2023, he has been a political commentator on the show Quotidien on TMC.

Aphatie was born on 8 September 1958 in Moncayolle-Larrory-Mendibieu, Pyrénées-Atlantiques.

After retaking his middle school diploma, he left school at age 14 and started working in his parents' grocery store-café in Mauléon-Licharre. He later worked as a car salesman in Biarritz and a café waiter in Lourdes. At 24, in 1982, he resumed his studies and obtained his high school diploma. He later graduated from the Journalism Institute of Bordeaux-Aquitaine.

His passion for political journalism emerged with the election of François Mitterrand as President of France in 1981.^[1]

He is married to Stéphanie Videau, who works in communications. They have a son and a daughter, born in the 2000s.

Aphatie is known for being one of the few figures in the French media landscape with a strong regional accent.^[2]

In 1986, he moved to Paris determined to become a political journalist. He worked for Politis from 1988 to 1989, then collaborated with Libération and Le Journal du Dimanche before joining Le Parisien in 1992. He later worked for L'Express and Le Monde.

In 1999, he shifted to radio, working as a political journalist for France Inter, and then in 2003, he moved to RTL where he hosted a daily political interview. He also became a commentator on Le Grand Journal from 2006.

From 2008, he became head of the political department at RTL. He has been awarded several prizes, including the Roland Dorgelès prize in 2008 and the Philippe Caloni prize for best interviewer in 2011.

After leaving RTL and Le Grand Journal in 2015, Aphatie moved to Europe 1 and has also worked for BFM TV, France Info, and LCI. Since 2023, he has been a regular commentator on Quotidien on TMC.^[3]

Aphatie was a member of the Socialist Party from 1982 to 1986, supporting François Mitterrand and later Michel Rocard. He has stated that he has voted blank in most elections since 1988, except in the Maastricht Treaty referendum. In 2012, he was criticized for his stance during the French presidential election, and in 2013, he was mocked during the Cahuzac affair after initially questioning the allegations against the former minister.^[4]

In 2016, he stirred controversy by suggesting that Versailles should be demolished, a statement he reiterated in 2022 to critique political nostalgia.

He has also voiced critical opinions on issues such as the Gilets Jaunes movement and media figures like Éric Zemmour, whom he strongly opposes.

He has authored several books, including Liberté, égalité, réalité (2006), La liberté de ma mère (2018), and Les Amateurs (2021).