French president sues Candace Owens over claims his wife is a man
Joseph Ataman
and
Saskya Vandoorne
, CNN
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte.
Photo:
Beata Zawrzel / NurPhoto / Getty Images via CNN Newsource
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, have filed a 22-count defamation lawsuit in the United States against right-wing podcaster Candace Owens over the claim that Brigitte could be a man.
The lawsuit filed in Delaware Superior Court alleges Owens has broadcast "a relentless year-long campaign of defamation against the Macrons" according to a statement from Tom Clare, the Macrons' lawyer.
In March, conservative commentator Candace Owens revived an absurd conspiracy theory with a YouTube video titled "Is France's First Lady a Man?" according to the complaint.
Promoted widely on X, Owens said the conspiracy theory was, "likely the biggest scandal in political history."
Since then, Owens has produced numerous videos about Brigitte Macron for her nearly 4.5 million YouTube subscribers, including a multi-part series called "Becoming Brigitte."
The lawsuit further claims she has also sold merchandise promoting the claim.
Candace Owens.
Photo:
AFP/ Getty Images - Jason Davies
The Macrons' attorney Tom Clare told CNN Wednesday that they had asked Owens to stop making the claim for about a year and filed the lawsuit as a "last resort" after she refused.
The complaint alleges Owens was the first person to bring these baseless claims to the US media and an international audience. The couple are suing for punitive damages and allege that they have suffered "substantial economic damages" including loss of future business opportunities.
On Instagram, Owens posted a screenshot Wednesday of an article referencing the Macrons' lawsuit and a picture of the couple with the caption: "I will be coming for this wig today. Stay tuned."
She later posted a video on YouTube saying the lawsuit was "an obvious and desperate public relations strategy."
CNN has reached out to Owens for comment.
Separately, Brigitte Macron sued two French women for spreading similar claims in 2022. After winning the initial case, this year the women won an appeal and the lawsuit will go to a higher court, according to CNN affiliate BFMTV.
According to the statement, these retraction demands to Owens were accompanied by, "incontrovertible evidence disproving her allegations and proving, among other things, that Mrs. Macron was born a woman named Brigitte Trogneux, that she is not a blood relative of President Macron," and that the Macrons are not being controlled or blackmailed by unknown forces by a CIA-linked program.
"Owens has used this false statement to promote her independent platform, gain notoriety, and make money," the official complaint said.
The claims caused, "tremendous damage" to the Macrons, the complaint added.
"Every time the Macrons leave their home, they do so knowing that countless people have heard, and many believe, these vile fabrications. It is invasive, dehumanizing, and deeply unjust," the complaint continued.
Clare said, "What people forget is these are human beings, these are a married couple. They have a social life, they have a private life together, they have the same feelings and the same hurt from these sorts of defamatory statements as anybody would. And it does have a material impact on them."
The Macrons are seeking punitive damages against Owens and her business entities for 22 counts of defamation, false light, and defamation by implication, the statement said.
Clare declined to say the amount of money the Macrons would seek but warned that if Owens continues to double-down on the claim, "it'll be a substantial award."
At a Paris event in March 2024, Macron addressed the rumor around his wife saying that the worst part of being a president was having to deal with "the false information and fabricated stories."
"People end up believing them, and it disrupts your life, even in your most private moments," Macron said.
France's Elysee Palace said the lawsuit was a "private affair" and would not comment on the matter.
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