Macron and First Lady Brigitte Escalate Legal Fight Against Baseless Gender Claims, Suing Candace Owens in US

French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron have launched a significant legal offensive in the United States, filing a defamation lawsuit against American commentator and podcaster Candace Owens. This action comes amidst a prolonged campaign by Owens to spread a baseless conspiracy theory alleging Brigitte Macron was born male, and as the First Lady continues a separate, ongoing legal battle in France over similar claims.

The conspiracy theory, which posits that Brigitte Macron was born male, later stole another person's identity, and changed her gender, first emerged in France in 2021, put forward by a group of journalists. Candace Owens, a prominent right-wing commentator, amplified these claims to a massive international audience, notably through an 8-episode podcast series titled "Being Brigitte" on her YouTube and Spotify channels, which has garnered nearly 25 million views. She also produced a YouTube video titled “Is France’s First Lady a Man?” and promoted the theory widely on X, calling it "likely the biggest scandal in political history," and allegedly sold merchandise promoting the claim.

The lawsuit against Owens was filed on July 23, 2025, in a Delaware, USA court. Lawyers for the Macrons, including Tom Clare, stated that Owens has broadcast “a relentless year-long campaign of defamation against the Macrons.” The complaint details 22 counts of defamation, false light, and defamation by implication, alleging that Owens was the first person to bring these baseless claims to the US media and an international audience. The Macrons are seeking punitive damages and claim to have suffered “substantial economic damages,” including a loss of future business opportunities. Clare indicated that the lawsuit was filed as a “last resort” after Owens refused requests to cease making the claims for about a year.

In response to the lawsuit, Owens posted on Instagram, "I will be coming for this wig today. Stay tuned," alongside a screenshot of an article about the lawsuit and a picture of the couple. She later stated in a YouTube video that the court complaint was “full of factual inaccuracies” and “is part of a transparent and desperate public strategy designed to smear her character.”

The Macrons, through their complaint, assert that Owens' claims have caused "tremendous damage." They describe the allegations as “vile fabrications” that are “invasive, dehumanizing, and deeply unjust.” Tom Clare emphasized the human toll, stating, “What people forget is these are human beings, these are a married couple. They have a social life, they have a private life together, they have the same feelings and the same hurt from these sorts of defamatory statements as anybody would. And it does have a material impact on them.” The Macrons' legal team has presented "incontrovertible evidence" disproving Owens' allegations, confirming that Mrs. Macron was born a woman named Brigitte Trogneux and is not blood-related to President Macron. President Macron himself addressed the rumors in March 2024, noting that dealing with “false information and fabricated stories” was the worst part of being president, as “People end up believing them, and it disrupts your life, even in your most private moments.”

This US lawsuit runs parallel to an ongoing legal battle in France. Brigitte Macron had previously sued two French women for spreading similar claims in 2022. While she initially won that case, an appeals court overturned the decision this month. Brigitte Macron has since appealed this ruling to France’s Supreme Court. The Elysee Palace has declined to comment on the matter, calling it a “private affair.”

The dual legal actions underscore the Macrons' determination to combat the spread of disinformation and protect their private lives from what they describe as relentless psychological violence and baseless fabrications.