What happened

President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron filed a 218-page, 22‑count defamation complaint on July 23, 2025 in Delaware Superior Court against U.S. right‑wing influencer Candace Owens

Brigitte Macron, age 72, was falsely accused by Owens of being born male under the name Jean‑Michel Trogneux, purportedly identity swapped with her brother

Other devastating claims: the Macrons are alleged to be incestuous blood relatives, part of CIA mind‑control conspiracies, and involved in cover‑ups and identity theft

According to the complaint, Owens promoted these conspiracy theories via her to widely‑viewed eight‑part podcast series “Becoming Brigitte” and associated X posts, monetizing the controversy through advertising and branded merchandise

Legal Strategy & Threshold

The lawsuit alleges actual malice that Owens knowingly disseminated false claims or acted with reckless disregard for the truth, targeting emotional and reputational damage. Public figures face a high bar in U.S. defamation law, requiring them to prove this elevated standard The Macrons reportedly sent three separate demands for retraction in December, February, and July each ignored by Owens. After rejecting these requests, the lawsuit was filed

Macron complaint

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… The result is relentless bullying on a worldwide scale.

Owens’s Response

Her spokesperson echoed similar themes, calling the lawsuit an effort to intimidate and suppress an independent media voice. Owens dismissed the lawsuit as strategically timed “PR smear”, claiming ignorance of its imminent filing and framing it as a violation of her First Amendment rights

On her podcast, she doubled down on the claims, saying she will not back down: “Brigitte Macron is definitely a man.” Owens further argued this was a foreign government’s attempt to silence her journalistic freedom.

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This case is both a legal and symbolic battleground: the Macrons assert their right to defend personal dignity and reputation against online misinformation, while Owens frames the lawsuit as a defense of free speech. The outcome could influence how defamation claims involving public figures and conspiracy content are handled in the U.S. moving forward.