By Presidencia de la República Mexicana
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, have filed a defamation lawsuit in the U.S. against American right-wing influencer Candace Owens, accusing her of spreading false and defamatory claims that France’s First Lady was born male.
The suit, filed on Wednesday in the state of Delaware, asserts that Owens has been promoting “outlandish, defamatory, and far-fetched fictions” regarding Mrs. Macron, including a longstanding conspiracy theory that she was born male under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux—a name that in fact belongs to her brother.
Owens has repeatedly made these claims on her widely followed podcast and social media platforms. In March 2024, she publicly declared that she would stake her “entire professional reputation” on her belief that Brigitte Macron “is in fact a man.” Owens has yet to respond to requests for comment, including from the BBC.
The conspiracy theory, which had been confined for years to obscure corners of the internet, alleges Mrs. Macron is transgender. Owens, who commands an audience of nearly seven million followers on X (formerly Twitter), has played a prominent role in pushing the theory into the mainstream. Earlier this year, she released a video series titled Becoming Brigitte that amplified the false claims.
In a statement issued by their attorneys, the Macrons said they made multiple attempts to get Owens to retract her statements, but were ultimately left with no choice but to pursue legal action.
“Ms. Owens’ campaign of defamation was plainly designed to harass and cause pain to us and our families and to garner attention and notoriety,” the statement read. “We gave her every opportunity to back away from these claims, but she refused.”
The lawsuit argues that Owens “disregarded all credible evidence disproving her claim in favor of platforming known conspiracy theorists and proven defamers.” It also accuses her of making additional false allegations, including the assertion that the Macrons are blood relatives and that President Macron was installed in office through a secret CIA operation.
The legal filing names Owens’ Delaware-based companies and seeks unspecified damages. Under U.S. defamation law, the Macrons—being public figures—will need to prove “actual malice,” which requires showing that Owens knew the claims were false but proceeded to publish or promote them anyway.
Owens, who previously worked for conservative organisations such as Turning Point USA and the Daily Wire, launched her own podcast in 2024. Since then, she has attracted criticism for promoting a wide array of conspiracy theories, suggesting falsehoods about topics including the Holocaust, the moon landings, and COVID-19 vaccines.
While Owens’ influence has grown in some conservative circles, her views have also generated controversy. She is married to George Farmer, a British-American entrepreneur and the son of Baron Michael Farmer—a former Conservative Party treasurer and House of Lords peer who has publicly distanced himself from some of Owens’ most extreme positions.
The Macrons’ lawsuit follows a previous legal victory in France, where two women were found guilty of libel in September for promoting similar false claims about Brigitte Macron. However, that decision was overturned on appeal earlier this month, according to the AFP news agency.
The case is now expected to test the limits of defamation law as applied to transnational online speech, conspiracy theories, and the responsibilities of public figures with large audiences in the digital age.
