(LifeSiteNews) — French President Emmanuel Macron and Brigitte Macron, have filed a defamation lawsuit in Delaware against American commentator Candace Owens, alleging she knowingly spread “demonstrably false” claims that the French first lady was both born a man and groomed Emmanuel Macron.
The 22-count complaint, filed Wednesday in Delaware Superior Court, accuses Owens of pushing “outlandish, defamatory and far-fetched fictions” through a monetized podcast series titled Becoming Brigitte. The series aired months after the Macrons’ legal team first contacted Owens in late 2024 requesting a retraction.
Owens, a former Daily Wire host, claimed in her broadcasts that Brigitte Macron was born Jean-Michel Trogneux, “stole another person’s identity,” and underwent a :gender transition” before marrying Emmanuel Macron in 2007. She also alleged the couple were blood relatives and linked the French president to CIA mind control experiments.
“These lies have caused tremendous damage,” the lawsuit said, accusing Owens of having “subjected the Macrons to a campaign of global humiliation […] for profit-driven lies.”
The lawsuit states that Owens ignored three formal legal notices over seven months and continued to promote the story “not in pursuit of truth, but in pursuit of fame.”
In response, Owens has framed the lawsuit as an attack on her First Amendment rights. “This is a foreign government attempting to silence an American journalist,” a spokesman said. “In France, politicians can bully journalists, but this is not France. It’s America.”
Owens herself called the lawsuit “irresistible” and suggesting that the discovery process of the case could include testimony from former U.S. President Donald Trump. Owens claimed Trump had previously asked her to stop making statements about Brigitte Macron’s gender.
The Macrons’ lawsuit also targets Owens’ companies, Candace Owens LLC and GeorgeTom Inc., which operate her website and podcast. It cites “actual malice,” the legal standard requiring proof that Owens knowingly published false claims or acted with reckless disregard for the truth.
Brigitte Macron previously won a similar case in a lower French court in 2023, though the verdict was overturned earlier this month on appeal. That ruling is now under review by France’s highest appellate court.
Owens was fired from the Daily Wire in March 2024 following a series of controversies, after which she launched her own platform and podcast. The Macrons argue that she used the transgender narrative to boost engagement and solicit donations.
Meanwhile, commentator Milo Yiannopoulos described the Macron’s move as a “spectacular PR blunder,” and pointed out that the case carried implications that many would consider “transphobic” in other circumstances.
The Macrons just made the most spectacular PR blunder I’ve ever seen—in my entire life. Maybe the worst ever. pic.twitter.com/aKcgVa3NIF
— MILO (@Nero) July 23, 2025
As of now, the case remains pending in the State of Delaware.