(Adnkronos) – Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte intend to present photographic and scientific evidence to a US court proving that the ‘first lady’ is a woman. The documentation will be presented as part of a defamation lawsuit against right-wing influencer Candace Owens, after the latter expressed her opinion that Brigitte was born male.
Interviewed by the BBC’s Fame Under Fire podcast, the Macrons’ lawyer, Tom Clare, explained that the first lady found the statements about her “incredibly upsetting” and that the same statements also affect the French president: “I don’t want to imply that they have somehow destabilized him. But like anyone juggling career and family life, when your family is under attack, it wears you down. And he is not immune to it because he is the president of a country,” he said.
“There will be expert testimony of a scientific nature,” the lawyer then announced, and, while not revealing its exact nature at this stage, he stated that the couple is ready to fully demonstrate “both generically and specifically” that the accusations are false. “It’s incredibly upsetting to think that you have to go through this,” to “present this kind of evidence,” he added. (continued)
“It’s a process she will have to go through publicly,” he continued. “But she is willing to do it. She is absolutely determined to do whatever it takes to set the record straight. If that unpleasantness and discomfort she feels is what it takes to stop all of this, she is 100% ready to take on that burden.”
Asked whether the Macrons would provide photos of Brigitte pregnant and raising her children, Mr. Clare replied that they exist and would be presented in court, where there are rules and standards. Owens, a former commentator for the US conservative daily Daily Wire, with millions of followers on social media, has repeatedly claimed that Brigitte Macron is a man. In March 2024, she even went so far as to say that she would stake her “entire professional reputation” on it.
These claims about Brigitte Macron began years ago in online circles, particularly in a 2021 YouTube video by French bloggers Amandine Roy and Natacha Rey. The Macrons won a defamation lawsuit in France against Roy and Rey in 2024, but the ruling was overturned on appeal in 2025 on grounds related not to the merits of the case but to the protection of freedom of expression. The Macrons are appealing the decision. (continued)
In July, the Macrons filed a lawsuit against Owens in the United States. The complaint alleges that she “ignored all credible evidence refuting her claims, preferring to support known conspiracy theorists and proven defamers.” In US defamation cases against public figures, plaintiffs are required to demonstrate “actual malice,” meaning that the defendant knowingly spread false information or acted with reckless disregard for the truth.
In August, the president explained to the French magazine Paris Match why he had chosen to take legal action. “It’s about defending my honor! Because it’s nonsense. It’s about someone who knew very well that they were in possession of false information and did so with the aim of causing harm, in the service of an ideology and with established ties to far-right leaders.”
Owens’ lawyers have responded to the Macrons’ lawsuit with a motion to dismiss, arguing that the case should not have been filed in Delaware, as, they say, it does not concern her business, which is registered in the state. They argue that forcing her to defend the case in Delaware would cause her “significant financial and operational hardship.” In the past, Owens has said she believes what she says is true and that there is nothing more American than freedom of speech and the ability to criticize.
