Chicago – July 23, 2025
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, have filed a defamation lawsuit in the U.S. against Candace Owens, a right-wing influencer and podcaster. The lawsuit focuses on Owens’ claims that Brigitte Macron is male. Owens, who has millions of followers on social media, made these claims in her podcast series “Becoming Brigitte,” which has over 2.3 million views on YouTube, and on her posts on X (formerly Twitter).
The Macrons argue that Owens has been spreading false and hurtful stories about them to boost her podcast and attract more followers. They say Owens falsely stated that Brigitte Macron, who is 72, was born as Jean-Michel Trogneux, the name of her older brother. According to the Macrons, Owens has also made cruel comments about their appearances, marriage, family, and personal lives, creating a harmful narrative meant to embarrass them.
The Macrons say this has led to bullying on a global scale. Owens’ spokesperson responded by saying that the lawsuit is an attempt to silence her. They claimed that this is an attack on her freedom of speech and called it an effort to intimidate her into stopping her work. The Macrons filed the lawsuit after Owens ignored three requests to take back her false statements.
