He is one of the leading faces of the French audiovisual landscape. Gilles Bouleau was born on May 25, 1962 in Paris. After a childhood spent in Colombes in the Paris region, he began his studies at the Paris Journalists Training Center (CFJ) and at Sciences Po Paris, from which he graduated from both schools.
In 1986, Gilles Bouleau won the Jean d’Arcy scholarship, intended for young journalists, which will allow him to join the editorial staff of TF1. A chain for which he remained faithful throughout his career. He made his debut in the economic, social and political service, before arriving in reporting, then in the arts and entertainment service.
Ten years later, the journalist held the position of morning presenter on LCI, the private group’s continuous news channel, until 1999. Gilles Bouleau’s career took on an international dimension in 2001, officiating as a correspondent of TF1 in London in the United Kingdom, before flying to Washington in the United States in 2005. He will notably cover major events such as the passage of Hurricane Katrina or the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States in 2008.
Upon his return to France in 2011, Gilles Bouleau took on the role of Laurence Ferrari’s joker at the presentation of the TF1 20 Hours newspaper, after the departure of Harry Roselmack. He also replaced Jean-Claude Narcy at the head of special operations (ceremonies, weddings and major events), broadcast live on television.
Qualitative work and loyalty to his channel which allow Gilles Bouleau to be the titular presenter of the 8 p.m. meeting, after the resignation of his colleague. A consecration which ensures the channel to chain the success of audiences, in particular during major events such as election evenings or interviews with the President of the Republic.
A presenter status that wins big for Gilles Bouleau. In a survey published by Télé 2 Semaines, the famous TF1 journalist would receive around 40,000 euros per month. An incredible remuneration which would however be false, according to the main concerned questioned on Canal in 2017.
“I know how much I earn, and I know what is said in the newspaper is not true,” he retorted in the show Le Tube. “I would like to be able to give it my salary. I’m not ashamed of every penny I earn,” says Gilles Bouleau, before specifying. “I would like to give my salary, but in France it is not possible. I can tell you that I earn what a good goalkeeper earns in France in the 2nd division”.
More recently on the Buzz TV show, Gilles Bouleau agreed to confide in his salary received for presenting TF1’s 20H, claiming that he had no “modesty” to approach this subject. “I have no shame with the money I earn, with the taxes I pay and with the work I do”, he confided and added: “To answer this question, I often answer: “Do you like football?” I earn rather less than a Ligue 2 goalkeeper. According to our colleagues from Le Figaro, “an average salary for a player in Ligue 2 is 15,000 euros gross per month”.
On the private side, Gilles Bouleau remains very discreet about his family. Married to Elisabeth Tran-Bouleau, this journalist, a graduate of the École Supérieure de Journalisme de Lille, also works in the editorial staff of TF1. Together, they are the happy parents of two girls in their twenties.
“My younger daughter never watches me on television. On the other hand, when I suggest that she watch a report that might interest her, she always agrees. Part of who my daughters are is linked to the exercise of my job: they grew up elsewhere, learned other languages, they have a British life, an American life. They are young adults totally different from what their parents were at the same age and it’s a chance! , he explained in the pages of Gala in 2015.
In addition, Gilles Bouleau also turns out to be a great sportsman. In an interview with Parisien Weekend in July 2019, the fifty-year-old journalist confessed his passion for running. “I go out five times a week. I always have a pair of shoes in my bag,” says this running fan since adolescence. From his jogs in the Bois de Boulogne during his Sciences Po years to his many strides abroad, he already has more than a dozen marathons to his credit.
