Brigitte Macron, wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, has filed a high-profile defamation lawsuit in the United States against American political commentator Candace Owens. The lawsuit comes after Owens spread a conspiracy theory claiming that Brigitte Macron was born male and had assumed the identity of her brother, Jean-Michel Trogneux.
These claims were amplified through Owens’s 2024 podcast series “Becoming Brigitte”, where she also suggested Brigitte and her husband were involved in CIA mind-control programs—allegations that have no factual basis and have been widely debunked in France.
Why Brigitte Macron Filed in the U.S.
In July 2025, Brigitte and Emmanuel Macron filed a 219‑page defamation lawsuit in Delaware Superior Court, where Owens is based. The lawsuit details 22 counts, seeks punitive damages, a public retraction, and a jury trial.
The Macrons’ legal team submitted birth certificates, family photos, and records disproving the conspiracy theories. They argue Owens spread “outlandish, defamatory, and far‑fetched fictions” knowingly for attention and profit.
In their statement, the Macrons said:
“Ms. Owens’s campaign of defamation was plainly designed to harass and cause pain to us and our families and to garner attention and notoriety.”
They also noted they gave Owens multiple chances to retract her statements.
Owens responded defiantly, calling the lawsuit a PR strategy and a foreign government assault on U.S. First Amendment rights. In her words:
“If you need any more evidence that Brigitte Macron is definitely a man, it is just what is happening right now… It is our hope you want to censor me, but I think you’ve met your match.
This lawsuit highlights the challenges of combating online misinformation, especially when public figures are involved. It also raises complex questions about cross-border defamation, privacy, and the limits of free speech when lies go viral.
As the case moves forward, it could set a precedent for how global figures seek legal protection against conspiracy theories in the digital age
