Apr 25, 2018; Washington, DC, USA; French First Lady Brigitte Macron listens to the address to Congress by French President Emmanuel Macron during a joint meeting. Mandatory Credit: Jack Gruber-USA TODAY
France’s first lady, Brigitte Macron, is taking the extraordinary step of undergoing medical evaluation and presenting scientific evidence to prove she is a biological woman, part of a defamation suit against American right-wing commentator Candace Owens.
Cruel Fiction
9/26/18 11:23:16 AM — Lynchburg, VA, U.S.A — Conservative activist Candace Owens speaks at a Liberty University convocation in the Vine Center with approximately 7,000 students in attendance. — Photo by Jasper Colt, USA TODAY Staff ORG XMIT: JC 137499 Candace Owens 9/26/20 [Via MerlinFTP Drop] Xxx Jc31886 Jpg Usa Va
The case, filed in July by Brigitte and President Emmanuel Macron, charges Owens with deliberately spreading a baseless conspiracy that the French first lady was born male. Owens not only repeated the claim but built it into a multi-part podcast series, telling her audience she would “stake [her] entire professional reputation” on Brigitte being a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux. The Macrons say the campaign was designed to drive attention, build Owens’s audience, and make money off a cruel fiction.
The Macron’s Lawyer Calls The Claims “Genetically False”
First Lady Jill Biden, right, and Brigitte Macron attend a state visit welcome ceremony for French President Emmanuel Macron at the White House. The Presidents of France and United States will meet about a variety of issues during the bilateral meetings. Xxx 2jm5030 Dcb Jpg A Oth Usa Dc
The couple’s lawyer, Tom Clare of the firm Clare Locke, told the BBC that Brigitte found the claims “incredibly upsetting” and a damaging distraction for her husband. “Expert testimony will come out that will be scientific in nature,” Clare said, without disclosing the exact details. But he added that Brigitte was prepared to demonstrate “both generically and specifically” that the rumors are false. Clare said this would mean an invasive, public process—something Brigitte Macron, now 72, would prefer to avoid but is committed to enduring. Photos of her pregnancies and family life will also be entered into evidence. Brigitte is the mother of three adult children, born in 1975, 1977, and 1984, and grandmother to seven.
The Macrons Are Pushing Forward With The Defamation Suit
Aug 11, 2024; Paris, France; France president Emmanuel Macron looks on in the second half between France and the United States in the women’s gold medal game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images
The Macrons’ suit notes that Jean-Michel Trogneux is very real, but he is Brigitte’s older brother. He still lives in Amiens, where the siblings were raised, and attended both of Emmanuel Macron’s presidential inaugurations. The couple argues that Owens’s refusal to acknowledge this, even when confronted with factual evidence, shows the defamatory nature of her campaign.
Not Their First Rodeo
Apr 25, 2018; Washington, DC, USA; French First Lady Brigitte Macron listens to the address to Congress by French President Emmanuel Macron during a joint meeting. Mandatory Credit: Jarrad Henderson-USA TODAY
This is not the first time Brigitte Macron has fought the rumor. She and her brother previously sued two French bloggers for defamation after the conspiracy first circulated online in 2021. That case ended inconclusively after an appeals court ruled it didn’t meet the legal definition of defamation. The matter is now before France’s highest court. The suit accuses her of “disregarding all credible evidence” in order to amplify conspiracy theorists. Owens’s attorneys have moved to dismiss, arguing that the Delaware court has no jurisdiction. Owens stands by her allegations.
