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For nearly 60 years, Noël Godin made a unique mark on public life by expressing his views on powerful and famous figures through a decidedly unconventional method: pieing them in the face.
The Belgian writer, critic, actor, and self-proclaimed anarchist gained international notoriety after an infamous 1998 incident in Brussels where he surprised Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates with a cream pie to the face. But Gates was far from the only high-profile target in Godin’s long-running campaign, which turned the simple cream pie into a signature act of protest.
Godin passed away on Sunday, August 23, at the age of 80, as confirmed by his partner Sylvie Broodthaers. Born in Liège and a longtime Brussels resident, he leaves behind a legacy as both a provocateur and cultural figure.
The Man Behind the Pie-Throwing
Godin launched his pie-throwing spree in 1969, initially targeting French novelist and filmmaker Marguerite Duras. Over the decades, his list of “victims” grew to include some of the most influential names across politics, entertainment, and philosophy, such as filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard, singer Patrick Bruel, journalist Patrick Poivre d’Arvor, French president Nicolas Sarkozy, and philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy-who endured at least seven pie attacks.
Operating under the flamboyant alias Georges Le Gloupier, Godin’s pie assaults were known as “entartage” in French, essentially the art of pieing. He framed these acts not as violent attacks but as playful, harmless disruptions aimed at puncturing the egos of those he viewed as pompous or self-important.
Drawing inspiration from comedic legends like the Marx Brothers and Wile E. Coyote, as well as the radical spirit of the 1960s, Godin’s pies were meant to entertain and deflate rather than injure.
The Bill Gates Pie Incident
Godin’s most widely recognized pieing came on February 4, 1998, when Bill Gates was in Brussels attending meetings with government and business leaders. Godin and his accomplices ambushed the billionaire, hitting him squarely in the face with a cream pie that left his glasses and suit covered in dessert.
The event quickly captured global attention, with media outlets vying for photos of the pie-covered Gates, some reportedly offering thousands of dollars for exclusive images. Gates himself reportedly took the incident in stride, with a Microsoft spokeswoman noting that his main grievance was simply that the pie didn’t taste very good.
For Godin, this moment was a career highlight, cementing his reputation as the world’s leading pie-throwing activist.
More Than Just a Prank
While the spectacle might have seemed like a lighthearted stunt, Godin took the philosophy behind his actions seriously. In interviews and his memoir Crème et châtiment: mémoire d’un entarteur, he explained that his targets were carefully chosen symbols of celebrity, power, and inflated self-importance.
His pie attacks were theatrical affairs, often involving careful planning, accomplices, and swift escapes. Followers joined the performances with the chant “Gloup!
Gloup! Gloup!”
adding to the sense of playful rebellion. This blend of performance art, political protest, and slapstick comedy made Godin a singular figure in cultural activism.
A Long List of Famous Targets
Godin’s pieing escapades spanned well beyond Bill Gates. He repeatedly targeted leading figures in cinema, politics, journalism, and philosophy, with Bernard-Henri Lévy famously enduring multiple pie attacks. These antics became something of an expected spectacle at European cultural events, with Godin himself described by The Guardian as having transformed the custard pie into a form of political art.
Even in recent years, Godin continued his pie-throwing tradition. One of his last reported targets was Michael O’Leary, CEO of Ryanair, whom Godin pied outside the European Commission in Brussels in September 2023.
After more than half a century of using pies to challenge authority and ridicule pomposity, Noël Godin’s legacy is as much about humor and theatrical dissent as it is about protest. His unique brand of activism leaves an indelible mark on the intersection of culture and politics.