Baptiste “You’re Not Clear” Moirot, who gained fame through a viral video where he set fire to objects in his room, was initially announced as one of the French bearers of the Olympic flame for the Paris 2024 games.
However, due to sustained accusations on social media, he has decided to renounce this privilege.
The organizing committee of the Olympic Games (COJO) and the 29-year-old Frenchman himself made the announcement on April 18, just 8 days after his participation was revealed.
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COJO responded to the press, stating, “Given the recent accusations made against Baptiste, he made the decision in conjunction with the organizing committee not to carry the flame. It is a responsible decision given the situation.”
In his Instagram post, Baptiste, who unintentionally became an internet meme, expressed his apologies to those he may have disappointed. He also disabled comments on the post.
To understand the origin of this change of heart, we need to delve into social media. An internet user exposed Baptiste’s behavior, revealing incidents that occurred in 2021. At the time, Baptiste, who was 26, sent messages to a young girl.
Surprised to see him chosen as a torchbearer, she decided to share screenshots of their online exchanges in a TikTok video.
In the video’s description, she wrote, “It’s from 2021, I was 12 years old (there are still others I could show if you want?).” She later posted a second video with additional supporting screenshots.
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As reported by 20 Minutes, other women, both minors and adults, came forward with similar experiences of inappropriate conversations with Baptiste, mainly on Instagram.
Baptiste addressed these accusations in an Instagram post, which he also shared in his story. He expressed deep sincerity and apologized for his mistakes.
He mentioned that becoming a father and starting his own family made him aware of the importance of his actions and the example he wants to set. However, his words were not enough to put an end to the controversy surrounding his past actions.
