French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron filed a high-profile defamation lawsuit against American commentator Candace Owens in July 2025, marking a rare legal confrontation between a foreign head of state and a US political influencer.
On 23 July 2025, the Macrons sued Owens in Delaware Superior Court over a series of false claims she repeatedly made on her podcasts that Brigitte Macron was born male and had previously used the name Jean-Michel Trogneux, which is actually the name of Brigitte’s older brother.
The 218-page complaint accuses Owens of leading a year-long campaign of global humiliation and relentless bullying designed to profit from spreading conspiracy theories. In addition to the transgender claim, the Macrons allege Owens falsely asserted they are secretly blood relatives and suggested Emmanuel Macron was installed as president through a covert CIA mind control programme.
The lawsuit includes 22 counts of defamation, false light, and defamation by implication. The Macrons argue the conspiracy theories have moved beyond internet rumours and into political dialogue and analysis worldwide, affecting how they are perceived by other world leaders.
President Macron described the suit as a defence of his honour against nonsense spread to serve a far-right ideological agenda. He stated that every time they leave their home they must confront the reality that countless people have heard and many believe these fabrications.
Owens’ response
Owens dismissed the lawsuit as a desperate public relations strategy and an attack on her First Amendment rights by a foreign government.
Her lawyers filed a motion to dismiss in late 2025, arguing the case should not be heard in Delaware since it does not relate to her business operations there. After the filing, Owens released an eight-part podcast series titled Becoming Brigitte and began selling merchandise mocking the First Lady.
What happens next
In September 2025, the Macrons announced they plan to present scientific and photographic evidence in court to definitively disprove the claims.
The couple is seeking unspecified punitive and compensatory damages, arguing Owens’ campaign has caused substantial economic and reputational damage and relentless bullying on a worldwide scale.
Parallel legal battles in France
The conspiracy theory originated in 2021 with two French bloggers, Amandine Roy and Natacha Rey. A French court initially found them guilty of libel in 2024, but the ruling was overturned on appeal in July 2025 on freedom of expression grounds. Brigitte Macron is currently appealing the decision to France’s highest court.
In January 2026, a Paris court convicted ten individuals of cyberbullying Brigitte Macron for spreading false claims that she is transgender. Eight men and two women aged 41 to 65 were found guilty of cyber-harassment. Brigitte Macron’s daughter testified that the relentless harassment caused a deterioration in her mother’s health and affected her grandchildren.
Xavier Poussard, a French journalist and author of the book Becoming Brigitte, is facing legal action as a central figure in the conspiracy theory. He is named in the Delaware complaint as a nonparty who served as Owens’ primary source. The Macrons allege he translated his work into English specifically to send it to Owens and other political figures.
Poussard reportedly resides in Italy, where he was questioned by Italian police as part of the French proceedings. He has dismissed the charges, mocking the lawsuit and positioning himself as an investigative journalist targeted by a state-led effort to silence him.
Broader context
The case highlights the growing intersection of transnational misinformation, online harassment, and legal accountability in the digital age.
It also underscores the international reach of conspiracy theories and the challenges public figures face in defending their reputations across multiple legal systems.
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