French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron are fighting back—this time, in an American courtroom. The couple has filed a defamation lawsuit in Delaware Superior Court against U.S. right-wing commentator Candace Owens. They allege Owens launched what they call a “campaign of global humiliation” by falsely claiming that Brigitte Macron, age 72, is a transgender woman and that President Macron, 47, is part of a CIA mind control experiment.
The 218-page complaint accuses Owens of using her massive online presence—including her podcast and social media platforms—to spread knowingly false and transphobic conspiracy theories for profit. The lawsuit demands both compensatory and punitive damages and requests a jury trial. At the heart of the suit is Owens’ eight-part YouTube series, Becoming Brigitte. In the videos, Owens claims that Brigitte was assigned male at birth and given the name Jean-Michel Trogneux(Trawn-YEU).
Owens also alleges the Macrons are blood relatives and that President Macron is a product of the CIA’s discredited MKUltra human experimentation program. The lawsuit calls these claims invasive, dehumanizing, and deeply unjust. Attorney Thomas Clare, representing the Macrons, told the Financial Times that the couple is ready to travel to Delaware to testify, as they believe it’s important to stand up for themselves. Clare says that Owens had multiple opportunities to do the right thing, but she has only mocked them. The Macrons’ legal team also revealed that Owens ignored multiple cease-and-desist letters. The lawsuit filing reads,
“Owens has dissected their appearance, their marriage, their friends, their family, and their personal history—twisting it all into a grotesque narrative designed to inflame and degrade.”
Owens, who has a history of spreading misinformation about transgender and LGBTQ communities, has not formally responded in court but said she would address the lawsuit on her podcast. This isn’t Brigitte Macron’s first time in court over false transphobic claims. Last year, a French court briefly ruled in her favor—awarding her nearly $9,000 in damages—but that decision was later overturned.
