Franco-Moroccan Comedian Booder Reveals Harrowing Birth Story and Early Health Struggles

Booder remembers the significant moments of his birth. Invited on Sept à Huit last February, Booder opened up to journalist Audrey Crespo-Mara. "The doctor who arrives thinks he’s going to do a routine birth. He thought he was bringing a child into the world as he usually does. Except that the child, when he comes into the world, is me," he explained. Born in 1978 in a small village in Morocco, the comedian had serious lung problems (severe asthma and bronchiolitis) from the first hours and had difficulty feeding. "This child won’t survive the winter," the doctor had predicted.

A difficult period for his family. Little Booder leaves Morocco for France. Upon arrival, he had been hospitalized at Necker for six years. At that time, his father who worked in France visited him at the hospital despite the fatigue. His mother particularly struggled with the family separation. "It was very complicated for my mom because it’s heartbreaking," confided the one who currently plays the role of full-time "Nanny" on TF1. She couldn’t speak French and didn’t know how to read or write. A difficulty that forced her to find an ingenious trick to navigate the metro. Her trick consisted of putting 10 dates in her pocket, eating one at each stop, and when there were none left, she knew it was time to get off.

Today, Mohammed Benyamna (his real name) is 48 years old. He savors the happiness of being alive when he should be underground.