Stéphane Pacaud

Stéphane Pacaud (born 17 September 1978 in Creusot)[1][2] is a French computer scientist known for owning pornographic websites such as XVideos and XNXX, studios like Bang Bros, magazines like Penthouse, and companies like Private.[3][4]

Little is known about Pacaud because he refused to give interviews to the press due to a lack of "trust" and "respect" for the media. He finally gave an interview to BFM TV in 2019.[5][6] He reportedly lived in Manila in 2008 and around Zurich in 2012[2][3] before settling in Prague, Czech Republic, in 2009.[5] He entered the pornographic industry in the early 2000s.[3]

According to Challenges magazine, Pacaud's fortune is estimated at 500 million euros, placing him among the top 500 richest French people.[2]

In the pornography industry and in court, Pacaud is accused of having, in his early days, illegally distributed content without the owners' consent, including films of sexual abuse committed by his crew during filming, and of leaving child pornography videos online. He is also criticized for the lack of transparency in the operations of his WGCZ group.[3]

On July 17, 2025, the newspaper Le Monde reported[7] that behind "a complex network of companies," his WGCZ group was the true owner of the French company Jacquie et Michel (J&M), contrary to what the company had stated at the time.[8]

References

  1. ^ Stéphane Pacaud, roi de l'industrie porno mondiale, a grandi au Creusot par Justine Mallard et Alice Emorine sur lejsl.com du 2 décembre 2024
  2. ^ a b c "Vidéo Pornographie: Stéphane Pacaud, le très discret Français qui possède le site X le plus visité au monde". Franceinfo (in French). 30 September 2022. Retrieved 9 March 2024..
  3. ^ a b c d Robin D'Angelo (28 April 2021). "Les zones d'ombre de Stéphane Pacaud, roi français du porno". Le Journal du dimanche (in French). Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  4. ^ https://www.ft.com/content/cc9ab3c5-bfe1-40d0-862d-c35123ceaf1c
  5. ^ a b Frédéric Bianchi (9 June 2019). "Le Français qui a créé les deux plus grands sites pornos du monde sort pour la première fois de son silence". BFMTV (in French). Retrieved 9 March 2024..
  6. ^ Annick Berger (10 June 2019). "Le patron français des deux plus grands sites porno au monde dénonce le "sensationnalisme" autour de son métier". Capital (in French). Retrieved 9 March 2024..
  7. ^ Damien Leloup (2025-07-16). "Qui a racheté le site pornographique français Jacquie et Michel ?". Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 2025-07-17.
  8. ^ Marc Rees (2024-12-10). "Jacquie et Michel passe sous pavillon américain". L'Informé. Retrieved 2025-07-17.
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