Patrick Poivre d'Arvor

Patrick Poivre d'Arvor (PPDA; né Patrick Jean Marcel Poivre; born 20 September 1947) is a French TV journalist and writer. He is a household name in France, and nicknamed "PPDA". With over 30 years and in excess of 4,500 editions of television news to his credit, he was one of the longest serving newsreaders in the world until he was fired in 2008. He presented his last newscast on TF1 on 10 July 2008. Since 2021, a total of 27 women have accused Patrick Poivre d'Arvor of sexual assault or rape that would have allegedly happened during decades prior. Seventeen women filed a formal complaint. Among them, eight did so for alleged rape.

Patrick Poivre was born in Reims, France. He obtained his Baccalauréat at 15, the year he became a father. He then studied Oriental Languages at the Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales and Law. Poivre claims to be descended in the male line from Jacques Poivre, brother of Pierre Poivre, an 18th-century nobleman in the time of Louis XV, "d'Arvor" being Jacques Poivre's pseudonym. Poivre, his siblings and his three surviving children legally changed their surname to Poivre d'Arvor in 1994.

Poivre started training as a journalist at the Centre de formation des journalistes (CFJ) at 22. He obtained his first job in 1971 on France Inter as morning newsreader.

In 1974, at the time of Valéry Giscard d'Estaing's accession to the Presidency, Poivre joined Antenne 2. He made his first TV appearance there in 1975, and was presenter …