Tibo InShape is wading into politics, and the establishment has taken note.
PARIS — France’s moribund conservatives have potentially found an unlikely savior.
He’s 32, muscular and millions of young men hang on his every word.
His name is Thibaud Delapart, but most of France knows him as Tibo InShape, the jacked YouTube star famous for sharing videos of himself pulling an 8-ton truck, winning fitness competitions and staging a “Bachelor”-style contest to pick his new girlfriend.
Delapart, France’s most popular YouTuber, kicked off 2025 by wading into politics. In a 15-minute video posted to his channel, Delapart said he supports same-sex marriage, abortion rights, tighter immigration controls, tougher approaches to crime and opposes drug legalization — broadly aligning himself with mainstream right-of-center politics in France.
The party that historically represented that camp, Les Républicains, appears to be trying to jump on the bandwagon.
Les Républicains have been in dire straits since Emmanuel Macron’s 2017 centrist campaign blew up the main left-right divide in French politics. After Macron won the presidential election in 2017, many Les Républicains supporters decamped either for his party, now called Renaissance, or the far-right National Rally that Marine Le Pen has worked to present as a more polished, professional political force. The Les Républicains candidate in the 2022 presidential election, Valérie Pécresse, won a paltry 4.78 percent of the vote in the first round.
Getting Delapart on side would be a coup for a political movement that has seemed lost and in desperate need of fresh blood to woo young voters.
So when Les Républicains’ parliamentary leader, Laurent Wauquiez, shared Delapart’s video, it set off a flurry of speculation that a competition for his backing has begun, though Wauquiez’s team did not respond to a request for comment. Pierre-Louis Tanzer, head of Renaissance’s communications operations, told POLITICO that “all parties have noticed that he’s starting to discuss politics.” Tanzer described Delapart as “politically engaged citizen.”
Both Renaissance and Les Républicains have struggled to catch the youth vote. Just 13 percent of voters 34 or younger backed Macron’s party in the first round of last year’s snap election, while Les Républicains scored 8 percent with that demographic, according to a Harris Interactive poll. Both parties registered their best scores with voters older than 75.
While backing one party would see Delapart run the risk of splitting his subscriber base of more than 25 million, the YouTuber is keen on having his thoughts heard.
“He’s realized that his voice matters, but he’s already been forcefully positioned on the political spectrum,” one of the YouTuber’s associates told POLITICO, which granted the individual anonymity to candidly discuss Delapart’s communications strategy. “He’s in the process of recognizing his influence and wants to communicate the right messages without endorsing specific candidates.”
Delapart has hired a crisis communications consultant to refine his messaging, especially on politically sensitive topics, the associate said.
Where Tibo stands
Given bodybuilding’s association with far-right political movements and Delapart’s almost effervescent patriotism — he’s often sporting the French flag and is a passionate supporter of law enforcement and the military — it had previously been rumored that the YouTube star supported the National Rally.
However, Delapart said on X that he voted for a pro-Macron candidate in the 2024 snap election. In an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche, Delapart said the National Rally reflects “some, but not all, of [his] values.”
Though Delapart might not become a young, telegenic political leader in the vein of Renaissance’s Gabriel Attal or the National Rally’s Jordan Bardella, his channel is prime real estate. Nabbing an interview with him would help any politician make inroads with young male voters who often shun politics — a segment of the electorate in the United States that helped Donald Trump secure his unprecedented political comeback and eventual return to the presidency.
In a strategy influenced by his son Barron, Trump chose to eschew traditional news media interviews in favor of conversations with popular podcasters and YouTubers, opting for personalities like UFC’s Joe Rogan over CNN’s Jake Tapper.
Delapart is similarly seen as an entry point into a world outside the Paris bubble. In political spheres, the YouTuber, who hails from southwestern France, is viewed as being representative of La France Périphérique, a term often used to describe areas of France outside the French capital, according to a former communications officer who collaborated with Delapart on a sponsored video. The individual requested anonymity to protect professional relationships.
The star’s appeal could help Les Républicains — or any party, for that matter — extend their reach to a new voting bloc.
For Jean-Yves Dormagen, head of the Cluster17 polling institute, much of the male youth vote from rural or working-class backgrounds have become more conservative in recent years. Securing support from these voters, “even if it only increases a vote share by 1 or 2 percent, can have a significant impact in terms of electoral gains,” Dormagen said.
