French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte have filed a defamation lawsuit in the United States against right-wing influencer and podcaster Candace Owens, following her claim that France’s First Lady is male.
In a complaint submitted to the Delaware Superior Court, the Macrons accused Owens of launching a false and malicious “campaign of global humiliation” aimed at boosting her podcast and growing her “frenzied” following.
Among the false claims, the Macrons noted, was the allegation that 72-year-old Brigitte Macron was actually born as Jean-Michel Trogneux — the name of her older brother.
Macrons Accuse Owens of Spreading Global Humiliation Through Podcast Series
According to the complaint, Owens has scrutinized the Macrons’ appearance, marriage, social circle, family, and personal background—distorting these elements into a malicious narrative intended to provoke and demean.
“The result,” the filing states, “has been persistent, global harassment.”
In response on her podcast Wednesday, Owens claimed, “This lawsuit is full of factual inaccuracies,” and described it as part of a “clear and desperate PR stunt” aimed at damaging her reputation.
A spokesperson for Owens characterized the legal action as an attempt to intimidate her after Brigitte Macron declined multiple interview requests from Owens.
“This is a foreign government trying to suppress the First Amendment rights of an independent American journalist,” the spokesperson asserted.
The Macrons, through a joint statement issued by their legal team, said they proceeded with the lawsuit after Owens ignored three formal requests to retract her defamatory remarks.
To succeed in a U.S. defamation case, public figures must meet the high legal threshold of proving “actual malice”—that the defendant knowingly spread false information or acted with reckless disregard for the truth.
Defamation Case Centers on Owens’ Viral Series ‘Becoming Brigitte’ and Online Allegations
Owens commands a significant online presence, with over 6.9 million followers on X and more than 4.5 million subscribers on YouTube.
The Macrons’ defamation lawsuit primarily targets Owens’ eight-part podcast series titled “Becoming Brigitte,” which has garnered more than 2.3 million views on YouTube, along with related posts shared on X.
The Macrons allege the series circulated “verifiably false and deeply damaging lies,including claims that Brigitte Macron assumed another person’s identity, underwent gender transition, and that the couple are biologically related and engaged in incest.
The complaint also references the couple’s early connection, stating that when they met, Emmanuel Macron was a high school student and Brigitte was his teacher, but emphasizes that their relationship “remained within legal boundaries.
In a separate legal matter last September, Brigitte Macron won a case in a French court against two women—one of whom claimed to be a medium—who were involved in spreading similar gender-related rumors. That ruling was overturned on appeal earlier this month, and Brigitte has since taken the case to France’s highest court.
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