French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, have taken legal action in the United States against conservative commentator Candace Owens, accusing her of pushing a coordinated smear effort that falsely claims France’s First Lady was born male.
The couple filed the defamation lawsuit on Wednesday at the Delaware Superior Court, alleging Owens orchestrated what they described as a “campaign of global humiliation” and “relentless bullying” targeted at Brigitte Macron.
At the heart of the lawsuit are repeated statements made by Owens on her online platforms, where she alleged that Brigitte, 72, is in fact a transgender woman named Jean-Michel Trogneux – the real name of her older brother. “Every time the Macrons leave their home, they do so knowing that countless people have heard, and many believe, these vile fabrications,” the complaint read, according to Reuters. “It is invasive, dehumanizing, and deeply unjust.”
The legal filing accuses Owens of deliberately amplifying “salacious lies” to boost engagement with her podcast and grow what they called a “frenzied” digital audience. The suit contains 22 separate claims and seeks both punitive and compensatory damages, though it does not specify an amount.
Such legal action is rare for sitting world leaders, particularly in U.S. courts, which hold a high standard for public figures in defamation cases. Under American law, Macron and his wife will need to prove that Owens acted with “actual malice” – meaning she knew the claims were false or acted with reckless disregard for the truth.
It’s a legal threshold that other high-profile figures, including former U.S. president Donald Trump, have struggled to meet in defamation suits of their own.
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