Currently in the midst of promoting his new feature film, Gérard Jugnot shares the spotlight with a host of stars like Philippe Lacheau and Michèle Laroque. Also part of this lineup is his colleague from Le Splendid, Thierry Lhermitte. The two men have known each other since the 1970s, when they were together at high school, and this solid friendship apparently allows for some rather humorous liberties. In an interview with Rire et Chansons on April 2, 2026, the director recounted to Cédric Cizaire how he almost lost his cool after receiving a mysterious letter.
“It’s like the guy is coming!” – Gérard Jugnot caught in a fake tax visit
It all started with the receipt of an official document announcing an imminent visit from the tax authorities. “He sent me a note saying, ‘I will introduce myself at your place’,” recalls Gérard Jugnot. “I had not done any fraud,” he adds. At that time, the actor feared being questioned about the purchase of a “huge” projector on his company’s account. “Oh, I probably don’t have the right to do that,” he thought before tidying up his house. Thierry Lhermitte watched him bustling around and jokingly offered to help him move the 40-kilo machine to hide it.
The pressure escalated when the intercom finally rang. Gérard Jugnot then saw a red-headed man appear on his screen. “I open the door and I see a guy, a redhead, and suddenly I recognize Thierry with a wig, with a mustache,” he explains. Still thinking that the real official would show up any moment, he curtly confronted his friend. “What are you doing? No, stop! The guy is coming,” he scolded.
This habit of Thierry Lhermitte pranking his partners does not stop there, as he repeated the same prank with Christian Clavier. Faced with these repeated provocations, the two victims decided to unite for a counter-offensive. The opportunity arose the evening when the joker planned to attend a Julio Iglesias concert with his wife. “We crushed 70 stink bombs in his car,” proudly recounts Gérard Jugnot.
“The neighbors had to endure the concert with a guy who stank of feet at the forefront. That was revenge,” concludes the actor with a laugh. This escalation in jesting demonstrates the strength of the bonds uniting the members of Le Splendid. Capable of turning a small scare into a comic memory, they prove that humor remains the driving force of their fifty-year-old friendship.
