Just for Laughs founder Gilbert Rozon asked to explain comments on 1998 sex assault

CTV News

2 days ago

Just for Laughs founder Gilbert Rozon is seen in the corridors of the Montreal courthouse during a break in his civil trial on Monday, June 30, 2025. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press)
MONTRÉAL — Just for Laughs founder Gilbert Rozon was asked to explain his public comments from 2011 about a sexual assault as he pursued his testimony in a high-profile civil trial in Montreal.
The comments were raised by lawyer Bruce Johnston, who represents nine women suing the disgraced former comedy mogul for nearly $14 million in Superior Court.
Rozon had made the comments in an interview he gave to TV personality Josélito Michaud in 2011 about an assault of a woman at a party east of Montreal in the 1990s.
Rozon told Michaud in the interview he was paying for that one, but could have paid for many others before that.
Rozon testified he was referring to paying for past episodes of drunk driving.
He says he did not sexually assault the woman but pleaded guilty under pressure from his family to save the international comedy festival.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 7, 2025.