The Tunisian democratic transition remained a significant topic for researchers, many of whom considered it a notable exception. Several arguments have attempted to prove this thesis. However, this transition ended with the reversal of most of the gains made by the country in the decade following the revolution, casting major doubts upon that thesis. This study deconstructs the argument for Tunisian exceptionalism based on a study of civil society starting from the period preceding the revolution, through the democratic transition period, and ending with Kais Saied’s 2021 coup. The study shows that Tunisian civil society contributed to disrupting the democratic transition process: first by deepening Islamist-secular polarization to the point of that a civil society with “two heads” emerged; second, the transformation of Tunisian civil society organizations into arms of political parties; and third, the encroachment of the role of society at the expense of the state and the deprivation of its legitimacy and effectiveness in the public space.