Comedian Gad Elmaleh Reveals Why He Abandoned French Citizenship Quest

Although he is popular in France and has lived there for several years, Gad Elmaleh has not been able to acquire French nationality. "I don’t have a French passport, I don’t have French citizenship. It’s not a conviction. To be very honest, I had started the process a very long time ago, and it was such a job that I gave up," Gad Elmaleh said on the 20h30 Sunday program on France 2, where he was invited to promote his new show Lui-même.

The comedian’s choice is also explained by a personal reason. He prefers to live as an immigrant in France. "I liked the idea of being an immigrant in France for whom things are going very well and who lives the life of the French, who doesn’t need to become French to be loved, appreciated, helped at the beginning by the French," the native of Casablanca contented himself with saying.

This is not the first time the Moroccan-Canadian comedian has addressed this issue. "It’s true, I have my Canadian, Moroccan passport, but not French. When I arrived in France, I had waited in line for hours in front of the Prefecture to get my residence permit and have the right to work," he had confided to the Journal du Dimanche in 2022. After spending four years in Montreal, Gad Elmaleh settled in Paris in 1992, where he followed an artistic training at the Cours Florent, in a free class.

The steps Gad had taken to obtain French nationality proved unsuccessful. "... it was really too complicated, long and tedious, I got a bit discouraged. Since then, I haven’t renewed it," he had revealed. His love for France has not faded, however. "... I love France, I owe it a lot. I live there and pay my taxes there. My only frustration is not being able to vote."