How a court jester slapped the king's butt, then brilliantly convinced him not to kill him
Triboulet's quick humor rescued him from Francis I's deadly wrath, not once, but twice.

Triboulet served as court jester under King Francis I, who ruled France from 1515 to 1547.
Court jesters hold a unique place in history. Playing the fool for kings and queens meant they were always in close proximity to royalty, but so very far from their rank and station.
Comedians often like to push boundaries, but that can be a dangerous business when your job is to entertain the peope who have executioners at their beck and call. Especially when you forget your place—or purposely ignore it, as the case may be—and playfully smack the reigning monarch square on the behind.
That little whoopsie was the claim to fame of Triboulet, a court jester who served King Francis I in 16th-century France. But it was how he got away with slapping the king on the butt and living to tell about it that earned him his place in history books.
According to Leonie Frieda's "Francis I: The Maker of Modern France," the king greatly enjoyed Triboulet's bawdy humor, though the jester frequently crossed the line with death penalty-worthy offenses. In one incident, Triboulet smacked Francis I on his royal behind, which infuriated the king. He threatened the fool with execution, but after taking a moment to calm down, he offered Triboulet an out: If the jester could come up with an apology that was even more insulting than the butt smack, he would live.
Triboulet thought fast and quickly came up with the best possible answer: "I'm so sorry, Your Majesty, but I didn't recognize you. I mistook you for the Queen."
Boom. King was owned. Triboulet lived.
In another instance, Triboulet offended a mistress of Francis I and again faced execution for his impertinence. However, the king, in his mercy, gave the jester the option of choosing his method of death.
"Good sire, by Saint Nitouche and Saint Pansard, patrons of madness," Triboulet responded, "I ask to die of old age." The king was left speechless, and true to his word, Triboulet lived to see another day. (And he did, indeed, die of old age in 1536.)
Humor and wit are often underestimated as survival skills, but Triboulet's narrow misses showcase how useful they can be. Even the World Economic Forum calls a sense of humor an "essential life skill" for its ability to protect us from disease and help us connect with others. Humor also plays an important role in long-term relationships.
Most of us won't have our lives literally depend on our quick wit like Triboulet, but it's not a bad idea to hone our humor skills. You just never know when a perfectly-timed zinger will come in handy.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."