French streamer Jean Pormanove dies during live broadcast, autopsy ordered after scenes of ‘absolute horror’

NICE, Aug 21 — French authorities are awaiting autopsy results to determine the cause of death of a 46-year-old man who collapsed during a live-streamed event described by a government minister as an “absolute horror,” prosecutors said yesterday.

Raphael Graven, better known online as “Jean Pormanove” or “JP,” died on Monday during a broadcast that shocked viewers. Footage circulating online appeared to show him lying still beneath a sheet while another man threw a plastic bottle at him.

Graven had built an audience of hundreds of thousands on the streaming platform Kick by staging controversial live shows in which he was often subjected to abuse or humiliation.

Prosecutor Damien Martinelli said police have been questioning witnesses and collecting evidence, including video recordings.

“Several interviews with people present at the time of his death have been conducted without providing clarity on the causes,” he said, adding that an autopsy was scheduled for Thursday. Graven died in the village of Contes, near Nice.

“The death of Jean Pormanove and the violence he endured are an absolute horror,” said Clara Chappaz, France’s junior minister for digital affairs.

Clips of the incident, widely shared online, showed Graven motionless under a bed cover as one of the two men present — using the aliases NarutoVie and Safine — tossed a plastic bottle at him.

The two men had previously been questioned by police in January over allegations of exploiting vulnerable individuals during online broadcasts to profit from viewer payments.

At the time, Graven was interviewed as a possible victim but denied being harmed. Instead, he and another participant told police the events were staged to attract attention and generate income. According to prosecutors, Graven said he earned around €6,000 through contracts with streaming platforms. Both men insisted they were not mistreated, were free to leave, and refused medical or psychiatric evaluations.

On Wednesday, Kick announced that all co-streamers involved in the broadcast had been banned pending the investigation’s outcome. The platform also said it was conducting a “comprehensive review” of its French content.

Kick, based in Australia, is known for looser content regulations compared with Twitch, its more established rival. — AFP