Brigitte Macron ‘born a man’ explosive theory gains traction after lawsuit against far-right podcaster Candace Owens

French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte have filed a defamation lawsuit in the US against conservative influencer Candace Owens over her claims that France's first lady is secretly a man, reports The Financial Times. The defamation lawsuit has been filed against Candace Owens over the far-right influencer’s “relentless and unjustified smear campaign” falsely accusing Brigitte of being a man.

Tom Clare of Clare Locke LLP, who is representing the Macrons, announced the lawsuit in a release on Wednesday, July 23. The Macrons filed their 218-page lawsuit in the Superior Court of the State of Delaware. The Macrons said the lies included that Brigitte Macron, 72, was born under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux, the actual name of her older brother.

Macrons sue far-right podcaster

The lawsuit accuses Owens of proliferating “demonstrably false” claims through her platforms, including in an eight-part podcast and on social media, designed to feed a “frenzied fan base” in “pursuit of fame,” the Macrons allege.


“These lies have caused tremendous damage to the Macrons,” according to the lawsuit, which names Owens as well her business entities, which are incorporated in Delaware.

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The lawsuit calls Owens' various claims "outlandish, defamatory, and far-fetched fictions" and said they had caused "relentless bullying on a worldwide scale," doing "tremendous damage to the Macrons".

Owens, a popular rightwing podcaster, had posted to X in 2024: "After looking into this, I would stake my entire professional reputation on the fact that Brigitte Macron is in fact a man."

She posted an eight-part video series to her YouTube channel, titled Becoming Brigitte, laying out her claims.

"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," said the Macrons in a statement.

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What did the Macrons say?

The false claims have subjected the Macrons to a “campaign of global humiliation, turning their lives into fodder for profit-driven lies,” the complaint says.

“Owens has dissected their appearance, their marriage, their friends, their family, and their personal history — twisting it all into a grotesque narrative designed to inflame and degrade,” the complaint alleges. “The result is relentless bullying on a worldwide scale. Every time the Macrons leave their home, they do so knowing that countless people have heard, and many believe, these vile fabrications. It is invasive, dehumanizing, and deeply unjust.”

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Brigitte Macron was previously awarded £6,750 in damages last year after two other far-right influencers falsely accused her of being a transgender woman. Amandine Roy, 53, and Natacha Rey, 49, a blogger, were cleared of the charges as the judges of the Paris Appeal Court ruled that they had every right to make those allegations.

Brigette Macron has found herself under attack not just in France but across the world. A controversial book named “Becoming Brigitte,” published by journalist Xavier Poussard, also became the breeding ground for conspiracy theories.

Wednesday's lawsuit is a rare case of a world leader suing for defamation. US President Donald Trump has filed multiple defamation lawsuits, including against the publisher of The Wall Street Journal last week.