French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte plan to submit “photographic and scientific evidence” to refute defamatory claims made by far-right American influencer and political commentator Candace Owens. The couple initiated a defamation lawsuit in July following Owens’ repeated promotion of transphobic allegations targeting the French First Lady. Owens has accused Brigitte Macron of being transgender, claiming she was assigned male at birth under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux, and alleging that she “groomed” a teenage Emmanuel Macron before transitioning to female. These unfounded claims have been a source of distress for the Macrons.
The couple’s lawyer, Tom Clare, co-founder of Clare Locke, told the BBC’s Fame Under Fire podcast that Brigitte Macron found the accusations “incredibly upsetting” and that the distractions were wearing on the president.
“Just like anybody who is juggling a career and a family life, when your family is under attack, it wears on you,” Clare said. “He’s not immune from that because he’s the president of a country.”
Clare added that the evidence to be presented will include expert testimony of a scientific nature, though he did not disclose the exact details. The Macrons are prepared to demonstrate unequivocally that the allegations are false.
“These individuals are important on the world stage, but they are also human beings,” Clare emphasised. “It is offensive and hurtful to be accused of effectively criminal acts and conspiring to lie to the world about their identities.”
Brigitte Macron, 72, who has three children, met Emmanuel Macron, 24 years her junior, while teaching at a high school in Amiens, northern France, where he was her student.
When asked if the couple would present photographs of Brigitte during pregnancy and raising her children, Clare confirmed such images exist and would be submitted in court, where strict rules and standards apply.
Owens, with over six million Instagram followers, has insisted she was born male and promised in March 2024 to stake her “entire professional reputation” on the claim. The allegation first appeared in fringe online circles in a 2021 YouTube video by French bloggers Amandine Roy and Natacha Rey.
Macron previously won a defamation case in France against Roy and Rey in 2024, but the ruling was overturned on appeal in 2025 on the grounds of freedom of expression rather than the veracity of the claims.
Clare revealed that during his investigation into Owens, they analysed her networks and found significant links to the French far-right. He noted Owens commands a large audience, with her podcast listeners and mainstream media frequently citing her in relation to this false story.
Clare described the defamation suit filed in Delaware as a “last resort” after a year of unsuccessful attempts to persuade Owens to cease spreading lies and tell the truth.