This article analyses various representations of the folklore character Jean le Sot (Foolish John) in the French-speaking world, particularly in Louisiana and Western France. This character is highly prevalent in francophone folklore, and several variations of the name can be found in France, the Antilles, Canada, and Louisiana. In the latter context, representations of Jean le Sot are almost entirely limited to portrayals of the idiot par excellence. These tales often take on a cyclical form of short, consecutive jokes or scenarios with no particular order. While similar tales and motifs are found in the oral traditions of Louisiana and Western France, Jean le Sot is sometimes represented as a simple hero who unwittingly overcomes challenges in the French tradition ; however, we observe the absence of such positive traits in Louisiana. Drawing on theoretical concepts such as Alan Dundes’ motifemes and the carnavalesque dethronement proposed by Bakhtin, this study aims to underline the sociocultural factors that may have influenced moral values and its relationship to intelligence in these folktales.