Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron have accused the US conservative podcaster of spreading “lies” about the first lady’s gender
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte have filed a new lawsuit against Candace Owens, accusing the American podcaster of profiting off of “outlandish” and “far-fetched fictions” that Brigitte is actually a man.
The 409-page defamation lawsuit was filed in Owens’ home state of Tennessee last week, and picked up by the American media on Monday. In it, the presidential couple accuse Owens of using her podcast “to expand her lies about the Macrons, sell merchandise making fun of the Macrons, and collect donations based on her ‘reporting’ on the Macrons,” including “outlandish, defamatory, and far-fetched fictions” surrounding Brigitte Macron’s “gender identity, gender, and sexuality.”
The suit expands on a case filed by the Macrons against Owens’ company in the state of Delaware last July.
Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron’s relationship has been the subject of gossip and scrutiny for years, largely owing to the fact that Brigitte is 24 years Emmanuel’s senior, and the pair met while Emmanuel was 15 years old and a student of his future wife.
However, a new set of rumors took hold in 2021, after self-proclaimed ‘spiritual medium’ Amandine Roy interviewed independent journalist Natacha Rey, who claimed that Mrs. Macron was born a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux. The Macrons sued Roy and Rey, who were ordered to pay the first lady €8,000 in 2024.
Owens took up the cause that year, declaring in March 2024: “I would stake my entire professional reputation on the fact that Brigitte Macron is in fact a man.” Owens expanded on these claims in an eight-part investigative series – ‘Becoming Brigitte’ – in 2025. She presented family photographs, alleging that pictures of Brigitte’s brother, Jean-Michel, actually showed Brigitte before a sex-change operation.
“These lies have caused tremendous damage to the Macrons. Defendant has subjected the Macrons to a campaign of global humiliation,” the lawsuit states.
Among the humiliations cited in the lawsuit was Owens’ use of a crude “Brigitte doll” to poke fun at Mrs. Macron during her show. Owens claimed in one episode that the doll, consisting of a blonde wig on an ‘ET’ plushie, had suffered “an LGBTQ hate crime, because, you know, Jean-Michel Trogneaux is gay.”
I’m afraid to say this is accurate.
The Macrons have indeed filed a NEW set of claims against me. 88 in total, and this time, they want justice over my Brigitte-Doll.
Those of you who are fans of the show know that Brigitte-Doll has never pursued the limelight. For her to be called “grotesque” by the French couple is hurtful, to say to the least. The bleach incident referenced in the filing was a traumatizing incident, which occurred during a polar vortex in Tennessee.
Brigitte-Doll will be making no further statements at this time.
