"We will not hesitate to intervene": "Secret Story" candidates accused of harassment, production reacts

A welcome reminder. This Saturday, the production team behind " Secret Story ," the reality TV show about confinement broadcast on TFX and TF1+, posted a video on social media in which the famous voice of Dominique Duforest is replaced by that of producer Valérie Jaunard.

And for good reason: for several hours, internet users have been outraged by sequences in which candidates—Marianne, Constance, and Célia—appear to be attacking Romy and Anita, two other participants in the program. This is intimidation, or harassment, for some, who have even claimed on social media platforms like X and TikTok to have filed a report with Arcom, the audiovisual regulator.

Others launched a petition on Change.org calling for "an end to the harassment Romy is experiencing," gathering more than 3,000 signatures in one afternoon.

TF1 and Endemol France were out of the question to remain silent. Production called the contestants in question for several interviews throughout the day to clarify the offending passages. "Some behaviors observed recently do not fully reflect the spirit and rules you chose to respect when entering this house," Valérie Jaunard explained to the residents who gathered in the living room afterward.

"I would like to remind you of an essential point of the Secret Story adventure: the House is and must remain a space of respect, kindness, and safety for everyone. By signing the internal regulations, you have all accepted these values. It is the respect of this framework that allows this adventure to be so powerful and human," she continued.

However, while clashes may occur, the production team believes that "this should in no way disrupt the safe place that is the House of Secrets." "We can have disagreements and tensions, and that's human. But here, you are required to manage them through dialogue and respect," explained the program manager, before promising strong measures in the event of a repeat offense. "We will not tolerate behavior that goes against these values, and we will not hesitate to intervene if this is not the case, taking disciplinary action or, if necessary, banning you from the game."

But on its X account, the "Secret Story" production team also sent a message to internet users, accusing some of fueling cyberbullying campaigns. "As we reminded the residents of the Secret House, we also want to emphasize the importance of the values ​​of respect, tolerance, and kindness on social media. Secret Story is, above all, entertainment, a human adventure, full of games, emotions, and surprises," wrote Endemol.

"It must never become a pretext for hatred," we read. "So here, we have fun, we comment, we get attached... but we will never tolerate violent remarks, personal or discriminatory attacks. TF1 and Endemol France will report any hate campaign against candidates and reserve the right to take legal action."

On Instagram, Endemol France's reaction was praised by other reality TV contestants. Jesta Hillmann , who rose to fame on TF1's " Koh-Lanta ," applauded a "very good speech." Cassandra Jullia, the face of TFX's "La Villa des cœurs brisés" and W9's "Les Cinquante," also praised the call to order and called for such sequences to be stopped.

Among the anonymous comments, the majority of comments are along these lines, while a handful nevertheless regret that the reaction was not firmer or that the word "harassment" was not used.

In recent years, several production companies have also published such messages to Internet users following comments targeting candidates from "Star Academy", "Married at First Sight", "Koh-Lanta" and "Peking Express".