The humorist invited us to the north to meet his parents. The favorite target of his sketches … and a way of warding off a painful past.
The future belongs to humorists who get up early. They still have to hear their alarm clock. And that morning, when Paris Match goes to take him to accompany him in the fief Chti where he grew up, Jeanfi Janssens did not hear his. And for good reason: the day before, he celebrated the last representation of his show at the Comédie des Champs Élysées, “Jeanfi fallen from the sky”. The ringtone of the intercom reminds him of order and twenty minutes later, here he is ready to leave with Duchess, his pussy from which he never separates, until sticking it on the poster of her show!
Direction Beaufort, a village of barely 1000 inhabitants located south of Maubeuge where the artist was born 51 years ago. “Every morning, I get up with this precept: the adventure is at the corner of the street,” he said. It made me do the biggest bullshit, but it also allowed me to live great adventures. ». That he tells on stage with a devastating humor. Everything goes there: his coming out, his gallios when he was “air hostess”, his pathetic love stories, the death of his brother, the trucker’s approach of his sister, his father’s borborygmes, the extra pounds of his mother …
The continuation after this advertisement
Ah! His mother! It is indeed because it is at the heart of the life of Jeanfi Janssens that we go to her house with the prodigal son whose effigy life-size, promo photo of “Dance with the stars”, sits on the ground floor of the modest town house. While she prepares coffee, the dad is stalled in her chair in front of an info channel. A retired couple all that is most normal, and yet … last week, they sat on the famous red sofa of Michel Drucker who received their son. As a consecration after years dotted with conflicts and tragedies. “I go on stage to flee a reality,” admits Jeanfi Janssens. But to think about it, it may be to better face it. “Thus he remembers how, young, he overplayed” the guy to hide [son] homosexuality at [son] father “.
The continuation after this advertisement
“At 6 years old, I was already disturbed by guys in briefs in the La Redoute catalog”
He nods with a smile. He smiled less when, about thirty years ago, his son announced the truth to him. “I was not published that I knew I was gay. At 6 years old, I was already disturbed by guys in underwear in the Redoute catalog. But I had to hide it: in a small village like mine, people were not ready. This is why Jeanfi does not allow himself any flirt, except for Jessica, his first sexual experience. A woman, yes. History of giving the change. “Then, when I went to study in Lille, there was Paola,” he says. But I did not sleep with her: it was a friend who agreed to pass for my fiancée with my parents. ». The staging works wonderfully. “I went to clean up at home,” recalls Hélène Janssens. When I found a panties in bed, I was so happy! ». Until the day when Paola fell in love with a man … Without worrying about that we will say, Jeanfi invites the couple to his parents. “My father, who was suspected of anything, told my mother that Paola was disgusting to come and tackle me up to me after having dropped me. ». The mother is no longer fooled. And the father ceases to be when Jeanfi will come out, just before going around in Montpellier where he found a job and a guy.
Finally, “a guy” history turns out to be more experience than a love story: “I was 20 years old, he was 30, I was in love. And I borrowed a lot of money for him before I find myself managing a clothes shop. Basically, he said to me, “Suck me and sign the papers!” ». And then he got off with the cash register, leaving me 80,000 euros in debts! ». And to punctuate with a thunderous laughter this testimony to say the least without filter. Jeanfi is thus done: zero barrier, zero taboo. His logorrhea is imbued with communicative enthusiasm, specific to the character of the resilients who, having known the worst, know that the best is always to come.
The continuation after this advertisement
The continuation after this advertisement
“I go on stage to flee a reality”
And the worst of the worst arrives in 1999. Jeanfi then launched himself in the air every day: he is Steward at Air France and sees 30 % of his salary fly away each month in order to reimburse what he owes. A venial constraint compared to what awaits him. He is at an altitude of 8,000 meters when he learns that his brother hanged himself, found by his mother in a field. She had sent him to find eggs from a friend in a neighboring village. Not seeing him come back, she calls her girlfriend who has not seen anyone. Hélène decides to go, thinking that her son is broken. In fact, the boy’s car is on the aisle of the road, while he swings at the end of a branch. Horror. “We learned that he had a double life,” says Jeanfi. While he was built a house in the north with his wife, son and daughter, he had another woman in Tours to whom he had just had a child. In addition, his company in which my parents were financially involved went bankrupt. He was in the trap and did not assume. ».
In addition to mourning, Hélène and Jean-Pierre have to face the debts. Obliged to sell their house, they see the bailiffs disembark. Jeanfi remembers: “I saw my mother put three beautiful furniture in the garden and set fire to the bailiffs:” We cannot keep them but you won’t have them either! ” ». She has character my mom! ». And put her head on Hélène’s shoulder who arrives in the garden with coffee. “After that, Jean-Pierre did a heart attack and we went to live in the south. But we didn’t like it. We came back here in Beaufort. Where they refuse to be owners. Too many bad memories. So they rent. Like Jeanfi in Paris. “When I told my mother the price of my apartment, she replied:” My God! ” For this price, here, you have two farms and fifty cows! ». And one more laugh, one!
“It was Arthur who saved me financially”
The family’s hero has the means to laugh now. “It was Arthur who saved me financially. In 2006, I participated in the game of boxes, “to take or leave”. Thirty programs later, I took 75,000 euros! I was able to settle my accounts. ». In 2013, encouraged by a friend, he launched into the one-man-show. “I was going back from Beirut, I played, I was flying to Singapore, I returned, I played, I left, etc. I was doing all the open scenes in Paris, I even tried the Off of the Avignon Festival: there were only three people in the room. It was hard at the time. The homos did not really have the card. ». But Jeanfi clings, does not let go and is spotted by Laurent Ruquier who integrates him into the big heads on RTL. The animator-producer-author remains one of Jeanfi’s most loyal friends. “There is Karine Lemarchand, too. It’s hard to have real friends in this environment that is stressful, competitive and superficial. I had not measured when I started, how alone I will be. When I was steward, I had a very balanced social life, I saw people all the time. Today, rather than being in representation to do what people expect from me, I prefer to stay at home with my pussy and watch “Tomorrow belongs to us”. ».
“What do you want to eat?” Asks Hélène. “Frits, of course! answers Jeanfi. We’re going to go to Mamie Fries. ». No, it is not a question of Jeanfi’s grandmother, but of a fried barracks a few kilometers away, in Ferrière-la-Grande, where the humorist regularly goes when he comes to see his parents. Except that there was a change of owner and that the gargotte is called at Phanie. ” Oh ! Excites the said Phanie while preparing the order, I hadn’t even recognized you! My grandmother is crazy about you! Do we make a selfie? ». Jeanfi is not asked and goes behind the counter. The photo taken, he helps the restaurateur with poorly insured gestures but laughter always so thunderous.
Back home, it’s silence. Total. Everyone has their nose stuck to their fricadel, their brains or above all and above all to their fries. Despite the appetite of the forces involved, it has the impression that there is as much as at the start of the meal. While he came out in the garden smoking his cigarette, Jeanfi presents a passiflore, a climbing rose, peonies, a glycine … “With each of my visits, I plant something.” I have a green hand. He especially has both feet of course earth, with a keen sense of realities. “After all that we have experienced, everything that happens now is bonus for my parents. I’m glad they see it during their lifetime. He nevertheless admits hiding behind “a shell”, choosing to laugh at his past misfortunes so as not to cry. “I have that of my mother!” She makes them cases for nothing! ». And laugh. “There’s one thing I wanted to tell you for a long time,” says Hélène. ” I find that you laugh too hard. Jeanfi, dried, asks her if she has something else to blame him for. “It is not a reproach, it’s a remark,” she replies. Besides, I’m going to take a big notebook and I will write everything I have on my heart. ». “It’s great,” embers his son. It will be useful for my third show! ». And yes, he laughs. Again and again.
