CONTROVERSIA
Portrait not available

Born in France · Nationality French — Culture / media / celebrities

Apolline de Malherbe

Media and journalism

Documented profile covering 5 controversies, including “Highly tense exchange with Gérald Darmanin over crime statistics” and “Interview with Dernière Rénovation activist criticised as contemptuous”.

Are you concerned? Right of reply

Profile No. 1074 · Updated on 13 October 2026

5Documented controversies
8Sources
0Formal charge · all time
0Conviction

§ Legal statuses reflect the documented sources as of the date shown; they replace neither court decisions nor the presumption of innocence. Counts are not a rating. Methodology

I. Documented controversies

01

2026

False 'city of Black people' quotation attributed to Saint-Denis mayor repeated on air

Civil / administrative proceedings

On 17 March 2026, Apolline de Malherbe questioned the new mayor of Saint-Denis, Bally Bagayoko, about a purported statement that the city was the 'city of Black people'. The quotation came from a truncated and misheard video: Bagayoko had actually referred to the 'city of kings and its living people'.

Attribution
Directly implicated

Sources · 1

  1. [1]
    AFP FactuelSaint-Denis, « ville des Noirs » selon son nouveau maire LFI ? Attention à cette vidéo tronquéeFact-checkHigh reliability

Last verified: 7 September 2026

Add to this entry

02

2024

Controversy over reluctance to label RN directly as 'far right'

No legal proceedings

Appearing on 'Quotidien' in June 2024, Apolline de Malherbe explained that she preferred to call parties by their names rather than directly describe Rassemblement national as 'far right'. Several journalists criticised her, recalling the Council of State's classification of RN as far right.

State of the evidence
Documented
Attribution
Personally implicated

Sources · 2

  1. [1]
    HuffPostLégislatives 2024 : ces propos de David Pujadas et Apolline de Malherbe sur les partis « extrêmes » ne passent pasMediaHigh reliability
  2. [2]
    Ouest-France / Programme TVApolline de Malherbe fait une mise au point après ses propos très critiqués dans « Quotidien »MediaHigh reliability

Last verified: 7 September 2026

Add to this entry

03

2024

Live reading of text message attributed to Rachida Dati during Marine Tondelier interview

No legal proceedings

During an interview with Marine Tondelier on BFMTV in July 2024, Apolline de Malherbe read live a text message she believed she had received from Rachida Dati. The segment was criticised for the lack of prior verification.

State of the evidence
Documented
Attribution
Directly implicated

Sources · 1

  1. [1]
    HuffPostSur BFMTV, Rachida Dati envoie un SMS à l’attention de Marine Tondelier dans une séquence lunaireMediaHigh reliability

Last verified: 7 September 2026

Add to this entry

04

2022

Highly tense exchange with Gérald Darmanin over crime statistics

No legal proceedings

In February 2022, Apolline de Malherbe questioned Gérald Darmanin about increases in several crime indicators. The minister criticised her presentation as 'simplistic' and 'somewhat populist', then told her 'Calm down, madam, everything will be fine', provoking major controversy.

State of the evidence
Documented
Attribution
Political responsibility

Sources · 2

  1. [1]
    Le Parisien« Calmez-vous madame, ça va bien se passer » : échange tendu entre Gérald Darmanin et Apolline de MalherbeMediaHigh reliability
  2. [2]
    HuffPostL'interview de Gérald Darmanin à Apolline de Malherbe lui vaut de nombreuses critiquesMediaHigh reliability

Last verified: 7 September 2026

Add to this entry

05

2022

Interview with Dernière Rénovation activist criticised as contemptuous

No legal proceedings

In June 2022, Apolline de Malherbe interviewed Sasha, an activist with Dernière Rénovation. The interview's tone, interruptions and certain responses were criticised as condescending towards the activist and the climate emergency.

State of the evidence
Reported by the press
Attribution
Directly implicated

Sources · 2

  1. [1]
    20 MinutesLes militants écologistes radicaux, symptôme et produit de la « télévision spectacle »MediaHigh reliability
  2. [2]
    AcrimedMédiacritiques n°52PressMedium reliability

Last verified: 7 September 2026

Add to this entry

II. Constellation of documented links

  • Linked profile (portrait or initials) — click to open it
  • Line width: number of documented references
  • Hover over or tap a line: controversies and sources

Two profiles are linked when a documented controversy of one names the other. The link points to that controversy and its sources; it does not indicate a personal relationship.

List of documented links (3)
  1. Gérald Darmanin1 documented reference
  2. Marine Tondelier1 documented reference
  3. Rachida Dati1 documented reference

III. Has something changed?

A new court decision, a missing source, a mistake? Tell us what should be updated: every request is read by the editorial team.

Update request

Apolline de Malherbe

Say which controversy is concerned and, if possible, give a source. Between 10 and 2,500 characters.

0 / 2500

To prevent abuse, the approximate location of your connection is recorded with your request.

iPhone and iPad

Install Controversia

  1. Tap Share
  2. then Add to Home Screen

Tap Share, then Add to Home Screen.