French comedian Kev Adams hosts the third edition of summer comedy gala L'Humour à la plage on French television network TF1 on Thursday evening. The open-air show, broadcast at 9:10 p.m., was recorded several weeks ago during a festival in the coastal resort of Juan-les-Pins on the French Riviera.
The summer comedy extravaganza brings together multiple generations of performers for unreleased sketches, one-off duos, and surprise guest appearances in a family atmosphere. Broadcaster TF1 positions the event as its flagship television comedy broadcast of the summer season.
Rémi Faure, the director of unscripted programming for the TF1 group, described the broadcast as the only dedicated comedy event currently on television. He noted that the gala successfully unites a wide range of performers around Adams, who previously served as a judge on the reality singing show Mask Singer before taking time to discuss the festival at a press briefing.
The festival has demonstrated growing popularity on broadcast television and digital platforms since its launch. The show recorded 2.3 million viewers for its inaugural edition in 2024, rising to 2.7 million viewers during its second broadcast in the summer of 2025.
Adams highlighted that the event has accumulated nearly 100 million combined views across social media platforms. He explained that L'Humour à la plage is not merely a prime-time television broadcast, but a complete entertainment ecosystem, adding that he has little doubt the festival will return for a fourth season.
Veteran Stars and Comedy Icons
The third edition features high-profile headliners from the French comedy scene, led by veteran performer Jamel Debbouze. Debbouze follows in the footsteps of previous star guests Franck Dubosc and Gad Elmaleh, with Adams noting that organizers value having an established reference figure of his caliber to anchor the show.
Debbouze, one of France's most prominent stand-up comedians and actors, is best known for creating the Jamel Comedy Club and founding the Marrakech du rire festival in Morocco. Adams drew a direct comparison between the two events, calling L'Humour à la plage a precious annual gathering where diverse artistic universes mix together to nurture new talent.
Television presenter and actor Jean-Luc Reichmann also joins the line-up to perform a specialized host sketch. Reichmann, known for presenting the daily game show 12 coups de midi and starring in the police drama series Léo Mattéï, steps into the guest presenter role previously filled by Denis Brogniart and Camille Combal.
Comedian Chantal Ladesou returns to the festival stage, marking her third consecutive appearance on the show. Ladesou, who co-starred alongside Adams in the film Maison de retraite 2 and served alongside him on Mask Singer, is the only comedian to have performed in all three editions of the gala. Adams praised her energetic performance style, remarking that working with her feels like working with a 24-year-old.
Emerging Performers and Regional Talent
Organizers have structured the line-up to achieve near gender parity among the performing artists on stage. Adams emphasized that the team designs the ambitious cast each year with a focus on audience entertainment while providing a prominent platform for female stand-up comics.
The festival maintains a tradition of featuring regional talent from southern France, given its location between the Riviera cities of Nice and Cannes. Following previous appearances by regional favorites Mado la Niçoise and Titoff, this year's southern representative is comedian Thomas Marty, a native of Saint-Raphaël in the Var department. Although Marty is relatively new to TF1 television audiences, he has already built a substantial following on social networks.
Rising stand-up comedian Nash performs on the main stage this year, following previous appearances by emerging comics Samuel Bambi and Marine Leonardi. Nash was scouted through Le Fridge, France's leading comedy club chain, where she has performed for years alongside past appearances at the Jamel Comedy Club.
Adams and the TF1 production team select emerging comics from Le Fridge by evaluating who possesses the maturity required for television broadcasts. Adams noted that performing a televised stand-up routine is one of the most difficult challenges a comedian can face, describing Nash as truly brilliant as she makes her festival debut.
