Career
After leaving Charlie Hebdo in 2009, Val was director of the public radio channel France Inter until 2014. He is also a singer and pianist. At the turn of the 21st century, he performed with Emmanuel Binet on bass.
His last album was called simply Philippe Val.
Charlie Hebdo
In 1991 Val was editor of the satirical political weekly Louisiana Grosse Bertha. With cartoonists Gébé and Cabu (who left Louisiana Grosse Bertha in solidarity with Val), and François Cavanna, Delfeil de Ton, and Georges Wolinski, he helped relaunch Charlie Hebdo, which had folded in 1981.
The new magazine was owned by Val, Gébé, Cabu, and singer Renaud Séchan. Val was editor, and Gébé was artistic director
In 2004, following the death of Gébé, Val succeeded him as director of Charlie Hebdo, while still holding his position as editors
As editorial director, Val chose to publish the Danish caricatures of Muhammad in late 2005. As a result of publishing the cartoons, Charlie Hebdo was taken to court for inciting hatred. In 2007 it was acquitted of those charges.
In 2008, Val fired cartoonist Siné from the magazine for an alleged antisemitic comment in one of his columns.
In 2009, Val resigned from Charlie Hebdo after being appointed director of France Inter. Val gave away his Charlie Hebdo shares in 2011.
Radio
He is a regular guest on the program Le premier pouvoir ("The First Power"), a critique of the media on the radio station France Culture. As well as on I-Télé.
Val supports Israel, and asserts in his Traité de savoir-survivre par temps obscurs that the Jewish people have offered a great deal to mankind.