Masked Avengers
Encyclopedia
The Masked Avengers, or Les Justiciers Masqués, are a Canadian
radio duo from Montreal
, Quebec
, made up of disc jockey
s and comedians Sébastien Trudel and Marc-Antoine Audette, known for making prank call
s to famous persons by pretending to be government officials or officers in charitable organizations. Working mostly in French, except for their international prank calls, they appear on the afternoon program Les Cerveaux de l'info on CKOI-FM
in Montreal.
Past victims of their pranks have included Gilles Duceppe
, rock
stars Bono
and Mick Jagger
, Microsoft
founder Bill Gates
, Formula One
driver Jacques Villeneuve
, U.S. business tycoon Donald Trump
, and 2008 United States Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin
. The duo have also been incorrectly credited with a prank call to Queen Elizabeth II in 1995, which was in fact placed by another CKOI-FM host, Pierre Brassard
, from Les Bleu Poudre.
Audette and Trudel met as classmates at Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf
in Montréal.
campaign, the duo — accompanied by a mascot
in a tiger
costume — presented Bloc Québécois
leader Gilles Duceppe
with a petition demanding the reduction of gasoline prices.
In August 2005, the pair got Britney Spears
to take a call by pretending to be Céline Dion
(they claim to have previously pranked Dion herself). As Dion, they proposed to Spears that "Tiger Woods
, one of my personal friends, just promised me he's going to sing a very special song in duo with you and it's going to be called 'Let's Make a Hole in One
'", to which Spears responded with enthusiasm.
On January 27, 2006, they tricked Jacques Chirac
into believing that he was speaking to new Canadian Prime Minister
Stephen Harper
, a prank which Chirac took with good humour. The BBC
rated this particular prank one of the 30 best moments in radio history of all time. In early May 2007, they called newly elected French President Nicolas Sarkozy
, again posing as Stephen Harper.
on November 1, 2008. Posing as Sarkozy, their discussion with Palin touched on politics, Sarkozy's wife Carla Bruni
, hunting by helicopter — "Like we say in French, on pourrait tuer des bébé phoques aussi" ("We could kill baby seals also") — and the perils of hunting with Dick Cheney
. Although the caller identified Sarkozy's advisor on American relations as Johnny Hallyday
, and also named Stef Carse
as the Prime Minister of Canada
and their Les Cerveaux de l'info co-host Richard Z. Sirois
as the Premier of Quebec
,Although the term they used was in fact "Prime Minister of Quebec", this is merely an atypical usage and not an inherently incorrect or deliberately misleading one. While Canadian English
has a usage convention of reserving the title "Prime Minister" for the Prime Minister of Canada
and using "Premier" for the equivalent position in a province or territory, in their actual meanings the terms are strictly interchangeable. Furthermore, Canadian French
does not have separate words for the two positions, using premier ministre for both — accordingly, when speaking English, Canadian francophones will often refer to the prime minister of a province. Palin remained unaware during the six-minute call that it was a prank. They also referred to the Hustler porn film Who's Nailin' Paylin?
as a documentary about Palin, to which the real Palin replied, "Oh good, thank you." The call to Palin was vetted by her foreign policy aide, Stephen E. Biegun, who took full responsibility for allowing the vice presidential candidate to take the call.
in 2007, while George W. Bush
was still president of the United States. Calling from Montreal through Paris
, France
, to avoid being traced back, The Masked Avengers posed as aides to President Sarkozy, tricking a White House operator into giving a direct phone number to the Situation Room
, so they could speak with President Bush. However, the real Sarkozy had already spoken to Bush earlier in the day. The pranksters gave an alibi, saying that he would like to give Bush support, and wanted to talk more about it. After getting through to the Situation Room, they were asked to call back in 15 to 20 minutes -- the operator even gave the pranksters the direct phone number.
The censored recording of the prank was not made public until April Fool's Day 2009, when CKOI aired the stunt. The delay was due to an agreement with the US government to wait until Bush has left office, due to security concerns.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
radio duo from Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, made up of disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
s and comedians Sébastien Trudel and Marc-Antoine Audette, known for making prank call
Prank call
A prank call is a form of practical joke committed over the telephone. Prank phone calls began to gain an America-wide following over a period of many years, as they gradually became a staple of the obscure and amusing cassette tapes traded amongst musicians, sound engineers, and media traders...
s to famous persons by pretending to be government officials or officers in charitable organizations. Working mostly in French, except for their international prank calls, they appear on the afternoon program Les Cerveaux de l'info on CKOI-FM
CKOI-FM
CKOI-FM is a French-language Canadian radio station located in Montreal, Quebec.Owned and operated by Cogeco, it broadcasts on 96.9 MHz from the roof of the CIBC Tower in Downtown Montreal with an effective radiated power of 307,000 watts using an omnidirectional antenna...
in Montreal.
Past victims of their pranks have included Gilles Duceppe
Gilles Duceppe
Gilles Duceppe is a Canadian politician, and proponent of the Québec sovereignty movement. He was a Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons for over 20 years and was the leader of the sovereigntist Bloc Québécois for almost 15 years. He is the son of a well-known Quebec actor, Jean...
, rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
stars Bono
Bono
Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
and Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
, Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
founder Bill Gates
Bill Gates
William Henry "Bill" Gates III is an American business magnate, investor, philanthropist, and author. Gates is the former CEO and current chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen...
, Formula One
Formula One
Formula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
driver Jacques Villeneuve
Jacques Villeneuve
Jacques Joseph Charles Villeneuve, , is a Canadian musician and automobile racing driver. He is the son of the late Formula One driver Gilles Villeneuve, and is the namesake of his uncle...
, U.S. business tycoon Donald Trump
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump, Sr. is an American business magnate, television personality and author. He is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts. Trump's extravagant lifestyle, outspoken manner and role on the NBC reality show The Apprentice have...
, and 2008 United States Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
. The duo have also been incorrectly credited with a prank call to Queen Elizabeth II in 1995, which was in fact placed by another CKOI-FM host, Pierre Brassard
Pierre Brassard
Pierre Brassard is a Québécois actor, comedian, television personality and radio broadcaster. He is associated with CKOI-FM in Montreal and famous for his phone call hoaxes. He managed to arrange phone calls with Queen Elizabeth II and Pope John Paul II, pretending to be Canadian Prime Minister...
, from Les Bleu Poudre.
Audette and Trudel met as classmates at Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf
Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf
Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf is a private French-language educational institution offering secondary school and CEGEP college-level instruction in Montreal, Quebec. It is a co-ed establishment for students in their final year of secondary school and in college. It is boys-only in the first four years...
in Montréal.
Notable pranks
At a campaign appearance in Joliette during the 2004 electionCanadian federal election, 2004
The Canadian federal election, 2004 , was held on June 28, 2004 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 38th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal government of Prime Minister Paul Martin lost its majority, but was able to form a minority government after the elections...
campaign, the duo — accompanied by a mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
in a tiger
Tiger
The tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...
costume — presented Bloc Québécois
Bloc Québécois
The Bloc Québécois is a federal political party in Canada devoted to the protection of Quebec's interests in the House of Commons of Canada, and the promotion of Quebec sovereignty. The Bloc was originally a party made of Quebec nationalists who defected from the federal Progressive Conservative...
leader Gilles Duceppe
Gilles Duceppe
Gilles Duceppe is a Canadian politician, and proponent of the Québec sovereignty movement. He was a Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons for over 20 years and was the leader of the sovereigntist Bloc Québécois for almost 15 years. He is the son of a well-known Quebec actor, Jean...
with a petition demanding the reduction of gasoline prices.
In August 2005, the pair got Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
to take a call by pretending to be Céline Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
(they claim to have previously pranked Dion herself). As Dion, they proposed to Spears that "Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
, one of my personal friends, just promised me he's going to sing a very special song in duo with you and it's going to be called 'Let's Make a Hole in One
Hole in one
In golf, a hole in one or hole-in-one is when a player hits the ball directly from the tee into the cup with one shot. This is most possible on a par 3 hole. Longer hitters have accomplished this feat on shorter par 4 holes...
'", to which Spears responded with enthusiasm.
On January 27, 2006, they tricked Jacques Chirac
Jacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac is a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He previously served as Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988 , and as Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.After completing his studies of the DEA's degree at the...
into believing that he was speaking to new Canadian Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Stephen Harper
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
, a prank which Chirac took with good humour. The BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
rated this particular prank one of the 30 best moments in radio history of all time. In early May 2007, they called newly elected French President Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
, again posing as Stephen Harper.
Sarah Palin
The duo pranked American vice-presidential nominee Sarah PalinSarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
on November 1, 2008. Posing as Sarkozy, their discussion with Palin touched on politics, Sarkozy's wife Carla Bruni
Carla Bruni
Carla Bruni-Sarkozy is an Italian-French songwriter, singer, actress, and former model...
, hunting by helicopter — "Like we say in French, on pourrait tuer des bébé phoques aussi" ("We could kill baby seals also") — and the perils of hunting with Dick Cheney
Dick Cheney hunting incident
The Dick Cheney hunting incident occurred on February 11, 2006, when then U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney shot Harry Whittington, a 78-year-old Texas attorney, while participating in a quail hunt on a ranch in Kenedy County, Texas...
. Although the caller identified Sarkozy's advisor on American relations as Johnny Hallyday
Johnny Hallyday
Johnny Hallyday is a French singer and actor. An icon in the French-speaking world since the beginning of his career, he was considered by some to have been the French Elvis Presley. He was married for 15 years to one of the most popular French female singers: Sylvie Vartan...
, and also named Stef Carse
Stef Carse
Steph Carse, formerly credited as Stef Carse on his French albums, is a pop and country singer from Quebec. Although he has written and performed original material, he is best known for writing and performing French translations of 1990s country hits such as "Achy Breaky Heart" and "Boot Scootin'...
as the Prime Minister of Canada
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
and their Les Cerveaux de l'info co-host Richard Z. Sirois
Richard Z. Sirois
Richard Z. Sirois is a Canadian radio and television comedian. Previously associated with the programs 100 Limite, Les Bleu Poudre et Rock et Belles Oreilles, he currently cohosts the afternoon program Les Cerveaux de l'info on CKOI-FM in Montreal with the comedy duo Masked Avengers.He also hosts...
as the Premier of Quebec
Premier of Quebec
The Premier of Quebec is the first minister of the Canadian province of Quebec. The Premier is the province's head of government and his title is Premier and President of the Executive Council....
,Although the term they used was in fact "Prime Minister of Quebec", this is merely an atypical usage and not an inherently incorrect or deliberately misleading one. While Canadian English
Canadian English
Canadian English is the variety of English spoken in Canada. English is the first language, or "mother tongue", of approximately 24 million Canadians , and more than 28 million are fluent in the language...
has a usage convention of reserving the title "Prime Minister" for the Prime Minister of Canada
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
and using "Premier" for the equivalent position in a province or territory, in their actual meanings the terms are strictly interchangeable. Furthermore, Canadian French
Canadian French
Canadian French is an umbrella term referring to the varieties of French spoken in Canada. French is the mother tongue of nearly seven million Canadians, a figure constituting roughly 22% of the national population. At the federal level it has co-official status alongside English...
does not have separate words for the two positions, using premier ministre for both — accordingly, when speaking English, Canadian francophones will often refer to the prime minister of a province. Palin remained unaware during the six-minute call that it was a prank. They also referred to the Hustler porn film Who's Nailin' Paylin?
Who's Nailin' Paylin?
Who's Nailin' Paylin? is an American satirical pornographic film released on November 4, 2008, that satirizes former U.S. vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. The film was directed by Jerome Tanner and stars Lisa Ann, Nina Hartley and Jada Fire...
as a documentary about Palin, to which the real Palin replied, "Oh good, thank you." The call to Palin was vetted by her foreign policy aide, Stephen E. Biegun, who took full responsibility for allowing the vice presidential candidate to take the call.
George W. Bush
According to sources revealed on April 1, 2009, The Masked Avengers tricked the staff of the White HouseWhite House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
in 2007, while George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
was still president of the United States. Calling from Montreal through Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, to avoid being traced back, The Masked Avengers posed as aides to President Sarkozy, tricking a White House operator into giving a direct phone number to the Situation Room
White House Situation Room
The White House Situation Room is a conference room and intelligence management center in the basement of the West Wing of the White House. It is run by the National Security Council staff for the use of the President of the United States and his advisors to monitor and deal...
, so they could speak with President Bush. However, the real Sarkozy had already spoken to Bush earlier in the day. The pranksters gave an alibi, saying that he would like to give Bush support, and wanted to talk more about it. After getting through to the Situation Room, they were asked to call back in 15 to 20 minutes -- the operator even gave the pranksters the direct phone number.
The censored recording of the prank was not made public until April Fool's Day 2009, when CKOI aired the stunt. The delay was due to an agreement with the US government to wait until Bush has left office, due to security concerns.