Paris/Delaware: French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, are preparing to present “scientific and photographic evidence” in a U.S. court to prove that the French First Lady is a woman. This extraordinary step is part of a defamation lawsuit they have filed against American right-wing podcaster Candace Owens, who has repeatedly promoted a baseless conspiracy theory that Brigitte Macron was born male.
In an interview on BBC’s Fame Under Fire podcast, Tom Clare, the Macrons’ lawyer, stated that the French First Lady has found the claims “incredibly upsetting” and that the constant speculation has been a “distraction” for President Macron. “When your family is under attack, it wears on you. And he’s not immune from that because he’s the president of a country,” Clare said.
Clare confirmed that the couple is prepared to provide expert testimony “scientific in nature,” along with other evidence to counter Owens’ claims. He acknowledged the deeply unsettling nature of having to prove one’s gender in court but added that Brigitte Macron is “firmly resolved to do what it takes to set the record straight.”
A Campaign of Lies and Defamation
Candace Owens, a former commentator for the conservative outlet Daily Wire, has millions of followers on social media and has been a prominent amplifier of the conspiracy theory. In March 2024, she went so far as to declare she would stake her “entire professional reputation” on her belief that Brigitte Macron is a man.
In July, the Macrons filed a defamation lawsuit against Owens in a Delaware court. The lawsuit alleges that Owens has spread “outlandish, defamatory, and far-fetched” lies, orchestrating a “campaign of global humiliation” and “relentless bullying on a worldwide scale.” The legal complaint states that Owens disregarded all “credible evidence disproving her claim” and continued to peddle the falsehoods for “notoriety, and to make money.” This included her release of an eight-part podcast series titled Becoming Brigitte after the Macrons’ lawyers sent her a detailed letter demanding a retraction.
Despite the looming legal action, Owens has doubled down on her claims. In a YouTube video, she called the lawsuit a “catastrophic PR strategy” and a desperate attempt to silence her. Her legal team has filed a motion to dismiss the case, arguing that the lawsuit should not be heard in Delaware and that defending it there would cause “substantial financial and operational hardship.”
This is not the first time the conspiracy theory has been challenged in court. In a separate case in France, Brigitte Macron and her brother, Jean-Michel Trogneux, won a defamation lawsuit against two women who had initially spread the rumor. However, a Paris appeals court later overturned the verdict, although it did not rule on the truth of the claims. The Macrons have since appealed that decision to France’s highest court.