French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron have launched a defamation lawsuit against American podcaster Candace Owens. The suit targets Owens’ widely circulated claim that the French First Lady was born a man.
The Macrons, through a substantial 218-page filing in Delaware, accuse the conservative commentator of peddling ‘outlandish, defamatory, and far-fetched fictions.’ They assert these claims are part of a deliberate ‘campaign of global humiliation’ and ‘relentless bullying’ designed to spread misinformation.
Owens targeted Ms. Macron, 72, in a YouTube video last March, propagating the assertion that she is biologically male. This narrative, which has since been deleted, was reportedly based on the ‘investigation’ of French blogger Natacha Rey, who is also facing legal action from the Macrons in France.
A statement from the Macron office emphasized their decision to pursue legal action: ‘Because Ms. Owens systematically reaffirmed these falsehoods in response to each of our attorneys’ repeated requests for a retraction, we ultimately concluded that referring the matter to a court of law was the only remaining avenue for remedy.’ They added, ‘Ms. Owens’ campaign of defamation was plainly designed to harass and cause pain to us and our families and to garner attention and notoriety. We gave her every opportunity to back away from these claims, but she refused.’ The statement concluded, ‘It is our earnest hope that this lawsuit will set the record straight and end this campaign of defamation once and for all.’
The lawsuit, comprising 22 counts, seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. This legal battle follows a recent appeal ruling where two women convicted of defaming Brigitte Macron on similar grounds were cleared, with the court deeming their claims made ‘in good faith’ and based on public information.
Candace Owens has been a vocal proponent of the unproven theory that Ms. Macron was born a man.
Tom Clare of Clare Locke LLP, representing the Macrons, highlighted the ‘relentless year-long campaign of defamation’ by Owens. He stated, ‘Ms. Owens has promoted a preposterous narrative about the Macrons, including incendiary and verifiably false accusations of identity theft, incest, violent crimes, and mind control.’
This development comes shortly after reports indicated Brigitte Macron has been deeply distressed by online attacks stemming from allegations that she was born male and had ‘sexually abused’ her husband when he was a child.
In March 2024, Owens publicly declared she was staking her ‘entire professional reputation’ on the theory that the French First Lady was originally named Jean-Michel Trogneux, her older brother’s actual name, and underwent a gender transition at age 30.
The conspiracy theory further alleges that Brigitte Macron did not biologically father her three children and that her first husband, a retired banker who reportedly died in seclusion in 2020, never existed.
These claims trace back to a September 2021 article in the French far-right magazine Faits et Documents (Facts & Documents), which initially garnered little attention.
However, the allegations exploded into public consciousness after far-right blogger Natacha Rey, a contributor to Faits et Documents, and clairvoyant Amandine Roy, discussed them in a viral YouTube interview.
The Macrons had previously pursued legal action against Rey, 49, and Roy, 53, resulting in initial libel convictions and fines.
Yet, the Paris Court of Appeal recently overturned these convictions, citing that the claims were made ‘in good faith’ and repeated existing public information. This ruling has been seen by some as a setback for Macron and a boost for conspiracy theorists.
The controversial ruling fueled a resurgence of online abuse targeting the French First Lady, who sources say has been left ‘absolutely devastated.’ This situation highlights the challenges public figures face in combating online disinformation campaigns.
The Macrons are now appealing to the Court of Cassation, the highest court, to potentially overturn the Appeal Court’s decision, while simultaneously pursuing the lawsuit against Owens in the U.S. This dual legal strategy underscores the seriousness with which they view the defamation.
The relationship between President Macron, 47, and his wife, 72, has long been a subject of public interest, both in France and internationally, since their meeting in 1992.
At the time, Brigitte was 39, a married mother of three, and a teacher at a French Catholic school in Amiens. Emmanuel was 14 and a student in the same class as one of her daughters when their paths first crossed.
Brigitte later divorced her husband and began a relationship with Macron during his teenage years.
To succeed in defamation cases in the U.S., public figures like the Macrons and Trump must prove ‘actual malice’ – meaning the defendant knew the published information was false or acted with reckless disregard for the truth. This legal standard is a high bar, reflecting the protections afforded to free speech in the United States.
