Emmanuel Macron, wife hired private eye to dig into Candace Owens: report

New York Post

6 hours ago

French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, reportedly hired a private investigator to dig into American podcaster Candace Owens before suing her over claims they describe as baseless and defamatory — including the allegation that the first lady was born a male.
The decision to commission the research shows how seriously the couple is taking their legal battle — a rare move for a sitting head of state to take against an online influencer, according to Financial Times.
The probe, which was carried out by Manhattan-based Nardello & Co., compiled information about Owens' political ties and public statements, according to details shared with the FT.
5 French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron reportedly hired a Manhattan-based investigations firm to research podcaster Candace Owens before suing her.
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Investigators documented her connections to far-right figures in France, Britain and the US along with examples of her coverage in Russian state-run media.
Dan Nardello, the firm's executive chair and a former New York federal prosecutor, told FT that the Macrons 'brought this lawsuit with the full knowledge of who Owens is aligned with.'
At the center of the dispute is Owens' podcast series 'Becoming Brigitte,' which attracted millions of listeners and pushed the claim that France's first lady was born male.
The Macrons' suit, filed last month in Delaware, calls the allegations 'outlandish, defamatory and far-fetched fictions.'
Their attorney, Tom Clare of defamation law firm Clare Locke, told the FT that part of the reason for hiring investigators was to understand why a conservative commentator had targeted the couple and to provide jurors with context about the source of the claims.
5 The Macrons are pursuing a defamation lawsuit over Owens' podcast claims that Brigitte Macron was born male, which they call 'outlandish' and 'far-fetched.' Owens is seen above in 2022.
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Owens has dismissed the lawsuit as an overreaction.
The Post has sought comment from Nardello & Co. and the Macrons' attorneys.
The investigators reviewed Owens' shift in political identity, noting she began her career identifying as a liberal but later became a staunch supporter of Donald Trump before publicly breaking with him.
They also traced the origins of the rumor about Brigitte Macron to a Spanish blogger in 2017. The theory began to gain traction in France in 2021 and was later promoted by Xavier Poussard, former editor of a fringe far-right publication.
In 2024, Poussard said he translated his work into English and sent it to Owens and others in Trump's orbit.
5 Brigitte Macron has been the target of a conspiracy theory traced by investigators to a Spanish blogger in 2017 and later amplified in France.
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He claimed Owens knew nothing of the allegation until shortly before she took it up, adding that her involvement gave the story 'a real boost from the Trump entourage.'
Owens' first reference to the rumor came in March 2024, when she cited a Daily Mail article that had attempted to debunk it.
She later interviewed Poussard at length on her show, portraying him as a truth-teller silenced by the Macrons. Once her series was released, Russian state-controlled media outlets, including Tsargrad — led by Vladimir Putin ally Konstantin Malofeev — began reporting on it.
Investigators found that Russia's RT network has posted about Owens more than 30 times since 2018.
While researchers did not find evidence Owens had direct ties to Russian officials or business figures, they did note her repeated online interactions with Alexander Dugin, a Russian nationalist and political theorist, with each sharing the other's posts multiple times.
The report also detailed her links to Maréchal, who now belongs to a rival far-right party after leaving Marine Le Pen's Rassemblement National.
5 Owens has dismissed the lawsuit as an overreaction, accusing the Macrons of spending heavily on lawyers, PR, and investigators.
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Owens was the headline speaker at the 2019 Convention de la Droite conference in Paris, organized by nationalist groups close to Maréchal, who also addressed the gathering. The two have referenced each other in social media posts.
Investigators also catalogued Owens' public criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, including insults calling him a 'sociopathic murdering welfare queen' and 'the neighborhood crackhead.'
They noted her connections to other high-profile figures on the right, including Reform UK leader Nigel Farage — reportedly a guest at her wedding to former Parler chief executive George Farmer — as well as broadcaster Tucker Carlson and online personalities Andrew and Tristan Tate.
In their lawsuit, the Macrons accuse Owens of spreading falsehoods, specifically the claim that Brigitte Macron was born male under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux. Clare said the French president and first lady are prepared to appear in person at the Delaware trial.
'When it comes to Brigitte Macron, abusing Emmanuel and then blaming it on Russia is an unfortunate and sinister pattern,' Owens said in a statement in response to the FT report.
5 The couple has reportedly indicated they are prepared to appear in Delaware court to testify.
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'The world recently watched as Brigitte physically assaulted Emmanuel, and the Elysees Palace at first denied the televised assault, blaming it on Russian disinformation.'
Owens said that the strategy is 'psychological gaslighting' and that the French first lady 'has once again been caught.'
'Between lawyers, international PR teams, plus investigators, the couple is spending real money to quiet the paranoia of her past,' Owens said.
Owens said that Brigitte Macron 'is displaying attributes of mental illness, which severely undermines the office her husband holds.'
'Everyone worldwide should pray for President Macron,' the podcaster said, adding that the French leader 'is a lifelong victim of this madness and has never held the power in his relationship to make it stop.'