Jugnot was one of the founders of the comedy troupe Le Splendid in the 1970s, along with, among others, his high-school friends Christian Clavier, Thierry Lhermitte, and Michel Blanc.

The group adapted a number of its stage hits for the cinema and was extremely successful in films such as Les Bronzés (1978), Les Bronzés font du ski (1979) and Le Père Noël est une ordure (1982).

Jugnot gained international fame for his lead role in Les Choristes in which he played Clément Mathieu.

[1] Jugnot met Christian Clavier, Thierry Lhermitte, and Michel Blanc when attending the Lycee Pasteur de Neuilly-Sur-Seine.

He also regularly took part in the radio show Les Grosses Têtes during the 1980s with Léon Zitrone, Olivier de Kersauson, Jacques Martin, and Jean Dutourd.