Macron plans US court bid to prove his wife is a woman – BBC
France’s President has initiated a defamation lawsuit against American conservative pundit Candace Owens, who claimed Brigitte Macron was originally male.
According to the couple’s lawyer, who spoke to the BBC, French President Emmanuel Macron and his spouse, Brigitte, plan to present photographic and scientific proof in a US court to establish that the first lady is female. These materials are to be presented within the framework of a defamation case brought by the Macrons against American right-wing personality Candace Owens, who has alleged that Brigitte Macron was born male.
Tom Clare, legal counsel for the Macrons in this matter, informed the BBC’s Fame Under Fire podcast on Thursday that their aim is to refute the assertions “both broadly and in detail.” Clare stated that Owens’ accusations concerning Brigitte Macron have caused the French president “immense distress.”
He observed that while the procedure of demonstrating her gender in court is by no means an enjoyable experience for the French first lady, “she is resolutely determined to undertake whatever is necessary to correct the falsehood.”
In July, the Macrons initiated the legal action in Delaware, USA, alleging that the conservative Youtuber, boasting millions of followers, had falsely asserted that Brigitte Macron was male at birth, that the pair were blood relations, and that Emmanuel Macron resulted from a CIA mind control experiment.
Lawyers representing Owens subsequently filed a countersuit, contending that the case should not have been brought in Delaware, citing the substantial legal expenses the conservative influencer would face.
In July, the conservative figure reiterated her allegations, stating she was “completely ready to undertake this struggle for the benefit of the whole world.”
Speculation concerning Brigitte began as early as 2021, when Amandine Roy, who describes herself as a ‘spiritual medium,’ interviewed independent journalist Natacha Rey, who asserted that Brigitte Macron was originally a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux.
The Macrons also initiated a defamation case in France, securing an initial victory in 2024; however, this judgment was reversed on appeal in July 2025, based on grounds of freedom of expression.
France’s first lady, who is 24 years his elder, encountered Emmanuel Macron when he was 15 years old and she served as his literature instructor at school. The pair wed in 2007.