French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, have filed a defamation lawsuit against U.S. political commentator Candace Owens in Delaware Superior Court over claims that France’s First Lady is a man. The case, filed on July 23, 2025, alleges that Owens spread false claims suggesting Brigitte Macron was born male under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux, her brother’s name.
The 218-page complaint includes 22 counts and demands unspecified damages, legal costs, and a jury trial. The Macrons claim Owens ran a year-long campaign through her podcast, social media, and merchandise, promoting theories that Brigitte Macron is transgender and involved in identity fraud.
Owens is accused of using these claims to promote her podcast “Becoming Brigitte” and selling T-shirts with slogans like “man of the year,” targeting Brigitte Macron. The lawsuit alleges these acts were part of a monetized campaign to grow her audience and influence.
According to the Macrons’ legal team, Owens ignored three retraction demands between December 2024 and July 2025. Instead, Owens doubled down, reiterating her allegations on social media and in a YouTube video released the same day the lawsuit was filed. In the video, Owens referred to Brigitte as a “goofy man” and called the lawsuit a “public relations strategy.”
The case relies on U.S. defamation law, which requires public figures to prove “actual malice”—that Owens knowingly spread false information or acted with reckless disregard for the truth. The Macrons argue that Owens ignored factual evidence, including Brigitte’s birth records and family photos, and used sources such as a self-described psychic.
Brigitte Macron and her brother had earlier won a defamation case in France against two women over the same allegations, but a court set aside the verdict on appeal in July 2025. France’s highest court is currently reviewing that decision.
Candace Owens and her team frame the case as an attack on free speech. Her spokesperson stated that Owens requested interviews with Brigitte Macron, but Brigitte declined them, and Owens will continue speaking on the matter. Owens has a following of nearly 7 million on X and 4.5 million YouTube subscribers.
Emmanuel Macron has served as France’s president since 2017. He and Brigitte Macron married in 2007. Online rumors about Brigitte’s gender identity began circulating in 2021 but gained renewed attention after Owens’ podcast launched in 2024.
This lawsuit is rare, as it involves a sitting foreign head of state suing an American citizen in a U.S. court. The complaint notes that other high-profile women, including Michelle Obama and Kamala Harris, have faced similar claims online. People often spread these types of conspiracies under the label “transvestigation.”
