President Macron and Wife Sue Candace Owens for Defamation
French first couple accuses Owens of spreading false claims about Brigitte Macron's gender and their relationship in a "relentless smear campaign."
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, have filed a defamation lawsuit against right-wing commentator Candace Owens, accusing her of a “relentless and unjustified smear campaign” falsely claiming Brigitte was born male, had transitioned, statutorily raped Macron when he was a teenager, and is related to him.
The 22-count complaint, filed July 23 in Delaware, says Owens spread these lies “in pursuit of fame.”
The complaint calls Owens’ statements “demonstrably false” and says she promoted them “in pursuit of fame,” despite knowing they were untrue. It accuses her of acting with “actual malice” — the legal standard for overcoming First Amendment protections in a defamation suit.
The alleged smear campaign began in March 2024, when Owens amplified a conspiracy theory about Brigitte Macron that was already the subject of a French defamation case against two far-right influencers who claimed the First Lady was transgender.
French influencers Amandine Roy and Natacha Rey were initially ordered to pay about $9,100 to Brigitte Macron and her brother, Jean-Michel Trogneux, for claiming Brigitte never existed and that her brother had transitioned and assumed her identity. A Paris appeals court later overturned the ruling, saying the women acted in “good faith.” Macron has appealed to France’s highest court.
The Macrons say they sent Owens a detailed letter demanding a retraction and providing evidence disproving the claims. They allege she ignored the letter, mocked them, and accused them of trying to silence and “intimidate” her.
Owens, who has a history of anti-LGBTQ comments, went on to create an eight-part podcast series claiming to “investigate” Brigitte Macron’s gender identity.
“Her conduct reveals a clear motive to generate controversy for financial and reputational gain,” the complaint states. “She will say anything, no matter how outrageous or unfounded, to attract attention, build her platform, and achieve notoriety.”
The suit says Owens profited from the claims, even selling a shirt with Brigitte Macron on a fake TIME “Man of the Year” cover that sold out.
Owens also claimed Brigitte Macron, now 72, met her future husband, 47, when he was 14 and committed statutory rape. The Macrons note he was 15 when they met at school, where she was a teacher, and say their relationship began only in adulthood. They married when he was 29.
The suit says Owens relied on non-credible sources to push an “inherently improbable” theory accusing the Macrons and other world leaders of belonging to “a small group of oligarchs who practice homosexuality and pedophilia, believe in Baphomet, and worship a transgender deity.”
The conspiracy claims this supposed Satanic cabal pretends to be Jewish while promoting incest and child abuse to create a generation of psychopath world leaders. Some of the rumors trace back to Russian state media in 2017, when Macron was first elected, according to The Independent.
The Macrons say Owens’ false claims have caused “tremendous damage,” harming their reputation and straining political, international, and business relationships with people who now hold them in contempt or believe the allegations.
The Macrons seek unspecified damages from Owens and her media companies, which are based in Nashville but incorporated in Delaware, where the suit was filed.
“If ever there was a clear-cut case of defamation, this is it,” Tom Clare, a lawyer for the Macrons, said in a statement.
Owens, a former communications director for Turning Point USA and The Daily Wire, is standing by her claims. On her July 23 podcast, she said she was eager to see what information the Macrons would have to provide in the lawsuit’s “discovery” phase.
“I am fully prepared to take on this battle,” Owens said. “On behalf of the entire world, I will see you in court.”
Calling the suit an “obvious and desperate public relations strategy,” Owens demanded that Brigitte Macron provide blood samples and childhood photos to prove she is female, according to Newsweek.
TIME reported that Owens called the lawsuit “evidence” Brigitte Macron is a man. She also labeled her a “groomer” and “pedophile,” referencing how the couple met, and mocked the complaint’s “bullying” claim, asking: “How old are you? Are you five years old? Really?”
Owens called the lawsuit an attempt to bully and silence her, even accusing the Macrons of defaming her to smear her character.
“You’re defaming me because you don’t want people to continue to watch the series,” Owens said. “But I’m sorry, my friend, the train has left the station.”
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