In a career spanning almost 60 years, French actor Gérard Depardieu has earned an image as a bon vivant − and a heavy flirt − through his roles and interviews. Today, three police complaints are pending against him: one for rape and sexual assault, filed in 2018, one for sexual assault, filed in 2023, and one for rape, also filed in 2023.

In addition, more than a dozen women who worked with him between 2000 and 2022 reported predatory behavior during shoots, such as repeated sexual remarks, touching and insistent grunting. These accusations, revealed by French investigative website Mediapart in the spring of 2023, also demonstrate the complacency of part of the film industry towards Depardieu's behavior.

On December 6, the investigative TV show Complément d'enquête broadcast previously unseen excerpts from a documentary. In the footage, the actor is seen making lewd comments towards several women, including one young girl.

The footage was met with backlash. The actor was stripped of honors in Québec and Belgium, and a "disciplinary procedure" has begun to examine if he should be stripped of his Legion of Honor medal in France. Despite all this, certain celebrities and public figures have rallied in support of the actor, including French President Emmanuel Macron.

In this three-minute video, Le Monde looks at the various accusations made against Depardieu and the legal proceedings currently underway.