Who Replaced Laurence Boccolini?

Laurence Boccolini has formally ended her professional collaboration with France Télévisions following a dispute over contract terms for the 2026 broadcast season.

The 62-year-old presenter confirmed her departure on April 7, 2026, citing terms proposed by management that she found unacceptable. The disagreement centered on an exclusivity clause that the public audiovisual group required in exchange for the hosting of the program Password and several prime-time shows planned for 2026.

I regretfully decide to leave France TV. I am not doing so lightly. But France TV, in final negotiations with my board, made demands that I do not accept.

Laurence Boccolini

Urgent Replacement on ‘Password’

The timing of the announcement caused immediate disruptions to the production schedule of Password. France 2 was forced to cancel filming sessions scheduled for April 6, 2026, which had already drawn candidates from across France to the set.

To address the vacancy, France Télévisions appointed Camille Cerf, who was elected Miss France 2015, to take over the presentation of the game. Cerf began hosting the program on April 8, 2026, as part of an intensive filming schedule that continued through April 11, 2026.

Transition on ‘Les Enfants de la télé’

The departure from Password follows a previous transition regarding the emblematic show Les Enfants de la télé. Boccolini had previously succeeded Laurent Ruquier as the head of the program in 2023, but she was let go from the role in June 2025.

Faustine Bollaert was appointed as the new host of Les Enfants de la télé at the start of the 2025 school year. Bollaert recorded her first episode during the week of September 20, 2025.

Bollaert later acknowledged the situation délicate regarding the transition, stating that she understood Boccolini may have been blessée (hurt) by the decision to replace her, though she noted that the decision was not her own.

Career Overview

Laurence Boccolini’s career in French media spans several decades, beginning in the early 1980s on RTY radio. She subsequently held prominent roles at Europe 1, where she hosted programs such as Top 50 during the 1987/1988 season and Fun Radio, where she hosted a morning program replacing Arthur and Manu Levy.

In television, she gained significant national recognition starting in July 2001 when TF1 appointed her to host the game show Le Maillon Faible. Between 2003 and 2008, she also served as the writer and lead character of the recurring TF1 series Mademoiselle Joubert.

Her television portfolio also includes hosting the election of Mister France in 2003, as well as the programs La plus belle femme du monde and Le plus bel homme du monde in 2004 alongside Christophe Dechavanne.

In radio, Boccolini’s experience includes work with France Inter on the show Rien à voir between 1999 and 2000, and contributions to RTL’s Les Grosses Têtes from 2000 to 2008 and On va s’gêner starting in 2009.