In an upcoming episode of the pre-recorded talk show, Marine Le Pen’s protégé Jordan Bardella is set to be seen emotionally moved as his father expresses his love for him, captivating millions of viewers next month.

Bardella joins a list of French political figures participating in intimate interviews with Karine Le Marchand, often hailed as France’s equivalent to Oprah Winfrey.

In the show titled Ambition intime (Intimate Ambition), Gérald Darmanin, the straightforward justice minister, opens up about his personal life, admitting that his mother continues to buy his socks and underwear.

As the president of the far-right National Rally party, Bardella dismisses claims of being overly concerned about germs yet acknowledges that he meticulously cleans his shower with a squeegee after use.

Journalists were granted a sneak peek of the forthcoming season at M6’s offices, one of France’s premier television channels, ahead of the season premiere on June 1.

Insights into politicians’ private lives represent a shift in French culture, which traditionally mocked the American-style trivialization of public personas.

This change gained momentum during François Hollande’s presidency from 2012 to 2017 when the public became absorbed in his tumultuous breakup with partner Valérie Trierweiler and his relationship with actress Julie Gayet, who he later married.

Today, leading French politicians are eager to appeal to the public by revealing their vulnerabilities.

The four politicians featured in the upcoming episodes — Bardella, Darmanin, Sandrine Rousseau, a well-known Green MP, and Fabien Roussel, the Communist party leader — actively sought to promote the show during the media preview.

Rousseau commented that a mistaken public perception often surrounds her, stating, “There’s a real caricature of me in public, but when people meet me in person while I travel around France, they often say, ‘You’re really very different from the image we had of you,’ so I hope this program will show them another side of me.”

Darmanin, who transitioned from being interior minister to justice minister last year, expressed that, “People have frequently pointed out my serious demeanor on television, especially during my four and a half years as interior minister; it tends to occur in response to crises such as terror attacks. I’ve got a serious public image that’s not particularly smiley or welcoming. However, if you visit Tourcoing, which is my constituency, the image people have of me is quite the opposite.”

Le Marchand responded to criticism alleging that she is turning politics into a form of reality television by asserting, “When considering figures like Trump, it’s impossible to dissociate their personalities from politics, both in the US and globally. We must move away from focusing solely on politicians’ ideas and policies.”

She faced backlash for alleged normalization of the National Rally after conducting a “soft” interview with Marine Le Pen in the previous season in 2021.

During her conversation with Bardella, he stated, “I didn’t need this program to secure 37% of the vote in the parliamentary elections. I don’t think people need this show to favor the National Rally.”

Notably, the production team reportedly faced challenges in securing collaborators for Bardella’s interview, with some who initially agreed preferring not to be credited.

Attempts by politicians to present themselves as relatable figures on television can sometimes lead to backlash, as seen with former president Nicolas Sarkozy, who encountered criticism in the show’s inaugural season. When asked by Le Marchand about his relationships with women, he responded that he had “a really long record on that,” prompting social media to label him as braggadocious.