A tribute to Brigitte Bardot was booed at the Césars, France’s version of the Oscars, on Thursday (26 February) night.
The Parisian actor found global stardom in the 1950s and became a symbol of the sexual revolution – but in her later years, her name was more synonymous with controversy and she drew criticism for making racist and offensive statements on multiple occasions.
Her death at the age of 91 was announced by the Brigitte Bardot Foundation in December 2025, with a statement that labelled her “a world-renowned actress and singer, who chose to abandon her prestigious career to dedicate her life and energy to animal welfare and her foundation”.
But in the wake of her death, Bardot’s legacy was fiercely debated, with many commentators highlighting her later controversies.
This year’s Césars, held at L’Olympia, included a tribute to Bardot featuring clips from her movies and archival footage.
In a video posted on social media by French publication Paris March, boos can be heard ringing out as the montage finishes. The publication also reports that some attendees chanted “racist” as the tribute aired.
During her acting career, Bardot drew acclaim for her work with pioneering French New Wave including such as Roger Vadim and Jean-Luc Godard.
While she became a global star – with the phrase “sex kitten” entered the lexicon when critics used the phrase to describe her - Bardot never moved to Hollywood and instead focused on European cinema.
Bardot announced her retirement from acting at the age of 39 in 1973, and dedicated much of the rest of life to animal rights activism. She also sang on a number of albums and collaborated with Serge Gainsbourg.
Bardot married four times, and her final marriage was to Bernard d’Ormale, an adviser to the ultra-right-wing National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen, in 1992.
Her offensive remarks included referring to gay people as “fairground freaks” in a 2004 book, and claiming that France was being “infiltrated” by “sheep-slaughtering Muslims”.
Between 1997 and 2008, she was taken to court five times on charges of inciting racial hatred.
Paying tribute to Bardot after her death, French President Emmanuel Macron praised “her films, her voice, her dazzling glory, her initials, her sorrows [and] her generous passion for animals”.
“Brigitte Bardot embodied a life of freedom. French existence, universal brilliance,” he continued. “She touched us. We mourn a legend of the century.”
Tributes also poured in from across the entertainment world but singer Chappell Roan backtracked on hers after fans highlighted Bardot’s many controversies.
“Holy s*** I did not know all that insane shit Ms Bardot stood for. I do not condone this,” she wrote on social media. “Very disappointing to learn.”
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