Latest news with #BrigitteMacron
Euronews
4 days ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Fake online investigations claim famous women were born male
In July, French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte filed a defamation lawsuit against US alt-right podcaster Candace Owens. The couple's lawyers accused her of being at the helm of an online crusade predicated on the assertion that she would stake "her entire professional career on the fact that Brigitte Macron is a man." Owens is accused of "relying on discredited falsehoods" and "inventing new ones", in a bid to "maximise attention and financial gain for herself", with her podcast and video series, Becoming Brigitte, having amassed millions of views. However, the false claims about Brigitte Macron first went viral in 2021. Ahead of France's 2022 presidential election, self-proclaimed journalist Natacha Rey alleged that Brigitte Macron was assigned male at birth and named Jean Michel Trogneux — which is Brigitte's brother's name — during a four-hour YouTube interview with spiritual medium Amandine Roy. However, this is not an isolated incident. Many other female public figures, such as former US First Lady Michelle Obama, New Zealand's former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and former US Vice President Kamala Harris, have also been victims of similar transphobic social media campaigns, which academics have dubbed "tranvestigations". The rise of 'tranvestigations' Transvestigations emerged on social media, particularly image-based ones such as X, Instagram and TikTok, because of individuals who seek to uncover some kind of hidden transgender identity among cisgender celebrities, according to Lexi Webster, associate professor of digital culture at the University of Southampton. Users post pictures where they examine "the size and shape of a person's shoulders, of skulls and jaws, but they also look at people's gait, as well as their genitals," Webster said, which they accompany with conspiracy theories. The fake claims about Brigitte Macron have become so widespread partly because they build on the public's perception that politicians are inherently deceitful. Other factors include "the conspiratorial element which is transphobic and is underpinned by discourses that there is some kind of trans cabal that is seeking to take power over particular industries", explained Webster. Candace Owens' preoccupation with Brigitte Macron has led other prominent figures, such as known conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, to also relay the claim. "Barack Obama has been plagued with gay rumours for a long time, and this is embedded in those discourses of Michelle Obama secretly being trans, and Emmanuel Macron, who is also being discredited largely because of other elements of his relationship", Webster told EuroVerify. "Right-wing or alt-right users are fuelling these claims, but we also know many platforms are inundated with bots who construct and reconstruct discourses based on what they know works well, which creates an engagement trap as people like, comment and repost", Webster added. However, even those who reshare the content to laugh at it also help keep it alive. "The online satirical community which points out these kinds of networks of hate and reshares them to laugh at the absurdity also generates engagement", Webster said. Fake news report about Brigitte Macron emerges online Despite there being no evidence to back any of the false claims about Brigitte Macron, they have with time become increasingly bold and innovative — both in style and substance — rather than dying down. For instance, in early July, a video styled as a TV news report surfaced on social media and garnered hundreds of thousands of views every time it was reposted. The video opens with shots of a crime scene, as a narrator alleges that a surgeon named François Faivre — who had supposedly planned on revealing information about Brigitte Macron's alleged gender reassignment surgery in a tell-all interview with a French tabloid — mysteriously fell out of a window in Paris on 29 June. However, the video, just as the claim, is fake. Through a reverse image search, EuroVerify traced the opening shots of the video to AFP footage available on YouTube, which showed a crime scene in Paris back in October 2022 — so not 29 June 2025. Furthermore, the surgeon in the video claims he worked at the American Hospital in Paris. The private healthcare practice told EuroVerify it had no records of a surgeon named François Faivre. Although the face of the fake surgeon could be a real person's, he barely blinks in the video, which points to the fact that his speech has likely been AI-generated. Despite the overwhelming evidence that the story of the surgeon is fake, conspiracy theories use tactful elements which sow doubt, such as the narrator's claims that Brigitte Macron underwent gender reassignment surgery at the American Hospital in Paris. This claim is intentional and appears to play on previously established stories, given that in 2019, Brigitte Macron sued Closer magazine for invading her private life, after the publication alleged that the country's first lady underwent a three-hour plastic surgery at the American Hospital of Paris in July. "They take alleged medical evidence, for example, this person went into a hospital at this point, knowing that the person in question is not going to tell us what they were in hospital for", Webster told EuroVerify. In this case, conspiracy theorists could be taking advantage of the fact that politicians and their partners rarely address plastic surgery rumours, "in the political sphere there is also a desire not to come across as vain or shallow about appearance, beyond political appearance", added Webster. "No evidence is good enough to stop the rumour. Even if Brigitte Macron did share her birth certificate, online users could claim it has been forged or altered", said Webster. "Even if the Macrons win the defamation case against Candace Owens, I don't think there'll be any impact on the claims online."
Euronews
5 days ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Fake online investigations claim Brigitte Macron is a man
In July, French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte filed a defamation lawsuit against US alt-right podcaster Candace Owens. The couple's lawyers accused her of being at the helm of an online crusade predicated on the assertion that she would stake "her entire professional career on the fact that Brigitte Macron is a man." Owens is accused of "relying on discredited falsehoods" and "inventing new ones", in a bid to "maximise attention and financial gain for herself", with her podcast and video series, "Becoming Brigitte", having amassed millions of views. However, the false claims about Brigitte Macron first went viral 2021. Ahead of France's 2022 presidential election, self-proclaimed journalist Natacha Rey alleged that Brigitte Macron was born a man named Jean Michel Trogneux — which is Brigitte's brother's name — during a four-hour YouTube interview with spiritual medium Amandine Roy. However, this is not an isolated incident. Many other female public figures, such as former US First Lady Michelle Obama, New Zealand's former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and former US Vice President Kamala Harris, have also been victims of similar transphobic social media campaigns which academics have dubbed "tranvestigations". The rise of 'tranvestigations' Transvestigations emerged on social media, particularly image-based social media such as X, Instagram and TikTok, because of individuals who seek to uncover some kind of hidden transgender identity among cisgender celebrities, according to Lexi Webster, associate professor of digital culture at the University of Southampton. Users post pictures where they examine "the size and shape of a person's shoulders, of skulls and jaws, but they also look at people's gait, as well as their genitals", Webster said, which they accompany with conspiracy theories. The fake claims about Brigitte Macron have become so widespread partly because they build on the public's perception that politicians are inherently deceitful. Other factors include "the conspiratorial element which is transphobic and is underpinned by discourses that there is some kind of trans cabal that is seeking to take power over particular industries", explained Webster. Candace Owens' preoccupation with Brigitte Macron has led other prominent figures, such as known conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, to also relay the claim. "Barack Obama has been plagued with gay rumours for a long time, and this is embedded in those discourses of Michelle Obama secretly being trans, and Emmanuel Macron, who is also being discredited largely because of other elements of his relationship", Webster told EuroVerify. "Right-wing or alt-right users are fuelling these claims, but we also know many platforms are inundated with bots who construct and reconstruct discourses based on what they know works well, which creates an engagement trap as people like, comment and repost", Webster added. However, even those who reshare the content to laugh at it also help keep it alive. "The online satirical community which points out these kinds of networks of hate and reshares them to laugh at the absurdity also generates engagement", Webster said. Fake news report about Brigitte Macron emerges online Despite there being no evidence to back up any of the false claims about Brigitte Macron, they have with time become increasingly bold and innovative — both in style and substance — rather than dying down. For instance, in early July, a video styled as a TV news report surfaced on social media and garnered hundreds of thousands of views every time it was reposted. The video opens with shots of a crime scene, as a narrator alleges that a surgeon named François Faivre — who had supposedly planned on revealing information about Brigitte Macron's alleged gender changing operation in a tell-all interview with a French tabloid — mysteriously fell out of a window in Paris on 29 June. However, the video, just as the claim, is fake. Through a reverse image search, EuroVerify traced the opening shots of the video to AFP footage available on YouTube, which showed a crime scene in Paris back in October 2022 — so not 29 June 2025. Furthermore, the surgeon in the video claims he worked at the American Hospital in Paris. The private healthcare practice told EuroVerify it had no records of a surgeon named François Faivre. Although the face of the fake surgeon could be a real person's, he barely blinks in the video, which points to the fact that his speech has likely been AI-generated. Despite the overwhelming evidence that the story of the surgeon is fake, conspiracy theories use tactful elements which sow doubt, such as the narrator's claims that Brigitte Macron underwent a sex change at the American Hospital in Paris. This claim is intentional and appears to play on previously established stories, given that in 2019, Brigitte Macron sued Closer magazine for invading her private life, after the publication alleged that the country's first lady underwent a three-hour plastic surgery at the American Hospital of Paris in July. "They take alleged medical evidence, for example, this person went into a hospital at this point, knowing that the person in question is not going to tell us what they were in hospital for", Webster told EuroVerify. In this case, conspiracy theorists could be taking advantage of the fact that politicians and their partners rarely address plastic surgery rumours, "in the political sphere there is also a desire not to come across as vain or shallow about appearance, beyond political appearance", added Webster. "No evidence is good enough to stop the rumour. Even if Brigitte Macron did share her birth certificate, online users could claim it has been forged or altered", said Webster. "Even if the Macrons win the defamation case against Candace Owens, I don't think there'll be any impact on the claims online."
Economic Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Economic Times
Candace Owens bets $300,000 Brigitte Macron is male — even lawsuit can't stop her claim
Candace Owens' gender claim bet on Brigitte Macron: Candace Owens is standing by her claim about Brigitte Macron. She says the French First Lady was born a man. Piers Morgan challenged her. He offered a $300,000 charity bet. Owens accepted the bet on air. The Macrons have filed a defamation complaint. Donald Trump also warned Owens about her statements. She remains firm in her stance. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads $300,000 Charity Bet on Brigitte Macron's Gender Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Legal Threats Fail to Silence Candace Owens Donald Trump Warned Candace Owens, But She Ignored Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads FAQs Candace Owens is doubling down on her controversial and widely debunked claim that French First Lady Brigitte Macron was 'born a man,' even as a defamation lawsuit looms over her, as per a Tuesday's episode of '', the far-right podcaster agreed to awith host Piers Morgan on the matter, as reported by The who has repeatedly called Owens' claims 'utter nonsense,' offered Owens the wager, saying, 'Last time we discussed this on Uncensored, I bet you $150,000 that you were wrong and that she's a woman. On X, when we discussed this further, I doubled it, this is for charity, to $300,000,' as quoted in the host added, 'You haven't accepted that yet. So right now, $300,000 to charity, I say she's a woman. Are you prepared to take that bet?' as quoted by the unfazed, replied, saying, 'I am 1,000 percent prepared to take that bet,' as quoted in the report. The far-right provocateur pointed out that she had missed Morgan's social media X post and, if she did spot it, she would have accepted the wager 'live,' as reported by the insisted that 'So we can totally accept that bet, I believe [Brigette] Macron is a male and they will not be presenting any evidence on the contrary because they would have done it already,' as quoted in the the podcaster even asked whether she would accept that her 'cruel, vindictive' campaign was akin to 'bullying against women' if proved wrong, as reported by the READ: New driving rule could cost you big — what every American motorist must know before September 1 This comes shortly after French President Emmanuel Macron and Brigitte Macron filed a 219-page defamation complaint in Delaware, accusing Owens of orchestrating a 'relentless and unjustified smear campaign' and profiting from her 'trinvestigation' podcast series, according to the report. The lawsuit claims Owens' false statements have caused 'tremendous damage' to the Macrons, as per the has shrugged off the legal threat, framing her actions as a pursuit of the 'truth' rather than a personal attack. She told Morgan she only wanted answers, and said she would have avoided running the series if the Macrons responded, according to the said, 'I was not interested in being a crusader against this,' adding, 'I went to them and said, 'If yoy answer these questions, we will not run the series.' I am only interested in the truth,' as quoted in the Independent READ: These oddly named vampire hacks could save you serious cash on power bills Even a direct warning from US president Donald Trump hasn't stopped her, as per the report. Owens revealed in an interview with Tucker Carlson that Trump personally told her to stop discussing Brigitte Macron's gender, shortly after French President Emmanuel Macron visited the White House in February, as reported by the Independent. He noted that the First Lady 'looks like a woman to me,' but Owens reportedly replied, saying, 'Respectfully, Mr. President, it's not my fault that he married somebody with a penis,' as quoted in the claimed, without evidence, that the French First Lady was 'born a man.'Piers Morgan challenged Owens to a $300,000 charity bet to prove Brigitte Macron is a woman. Owens accepted.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Candace Owens bets $300,000 Brigitte Macron is male — even lawsuit can't stop her claim
Candace Owens' gender claim bet on Brigitte Macron: Candace Owens is doubling down on her controversial and widely debunked claim that French First Lady Brigitte Macron was 'born a man,' even as a defamation lawsuit looms over her, as per a report. $300,000 Charity Bet on Brigitte Macron's Gender On Tuesday's episode of ' Piers Morgan Uncensored ', the far-right podcaster agreed to a $300,000 charity bet with host Piers Morgan on the matter, as reported by The Independent. Productivity Tool Zero to Hero in Microsoft Excel: Complete Excel guide By Metla Sudha Sekhar View Program Finance Introduction to Technical Analysis & Candlestick Theory By Dinesh Nagpal View Program Finance Financial Literacy i e Lets Crack the Billionaire Code By CA Rahul Gupta View Program Digital Marketing Digital Marketing Masterclass by Neil Patel By Neil Patel View Program Finance Technical Analysis Demystified- A Complete Guide to Trading By Kunal Patel View Program Productivity Tool Excel Essentials to Expert: Your Complete Guide By Study at home View Program Artificial Intelligence AI For Business Professionals Batch 2 By Ansh Mehra View Program Morgan, who has repeatedly called Owens' claims 'utter nonsense,' offered Owens the wager, saying, 'Last time we discussed this on Uncensored, I bet you $150,000 that you were wrong and that she's a woman. On X, when we discussed this further, I doubled it, this is for charity, to $300,000,' as quoted in the report. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Play War Thunder now for free War Thunder Play Now Undo The host added, 'You haven't accepted that yet. So right now, $300,000 to charity, I say she's a woman. Are you prepared to take that bet?' as quoted by the Independent. Owens, unfazed, replied, saying, 'I am 1,000 percent prepared to take that bet,' as quoted in the report. The far-right provocateur pointed out that she had missed Morgan's social media X post and, if she did spot it, she would have accepted the wager 'live,' as reported by the Independent. Live Events She insisted that 'So we can totally accept that bet, I believe [Brigette] Macron is a male and they will not be presenting any evidence on the contrary because they would have done it already,' as quoted in the report. While the podcaster even asked whether she would accept that her 'cruel, vindictive' campaign was akin to 'bullying against women' if proved wrong, as reported by the Independent. ALSO READ: New driving rule could cost you big — what every American motorist must know before September 1 Legal Threats Fail to Silence Candace Owens This comes shortly after French President Emmanuel Macron and Brigitte Macron filed a 219-page defamation complaint in Delaware, accusing Owens of orchestrating a 'relentless and unjustified smear campaign' and profiting from her 'trinvestigation' podcast series, according to the report. The lawsuit claims Owens' false statements have caused 'tremendous damage' to the Macrons, as per the Independent. Owens has shrugged off the legal threat, framing her actions as a pursuit of the 'truth' rather than a personal attack. She told Morgan she only wanted answers, and said she would have avoided running the series if the Macrons responded, according to the rpeort. She said, 'I was not interested in being a crusader against this,' adding, 'I went to them and said, 'If yoy answer these questions, we will not run the series.' I am only interested in the truth,' as quoted in the Independent report. ALSO READ: These oddly named vampire hacks could save you serious cash on power bills Donald Trump Warned Candace Owens, But She Ignored Even a direct warning from US president Donald Trump hasn't stopped her, as per the report. Owens revealed in an interview with Tucker Carlson that Trump personally told her to stop discussing Brigitte Macron's gender, shortly after French President Emmanuel Macron visited the White House in February, as reported by the Independent. He noted that the First Lady 'looks like a woman to me,' but Owens reportedly replied, saying, 'Respectfully, Mr. President, it's not my fault that he married somebody with a penis,' as quoted in the report. FAQs What did Candace Owens claim about Brigitte Macron? Owens claimed, without evidence, that the French First Lady was 'born a man.' What's the $300,000 bet about? Piers Morgan challenged Owens to a $300,000 charity bet to prove Brigitte Macron is a woman. Owens accepted.
The Independent
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Candace Owens makes $300,000 bet with Piers Morgan over Brigitte Macron despite lawsuit
Candace Owens wagered a $300,000 bet with Piers Morgan over her baseless claim that Brigitte Macron was 'born a man.' The MAGA podcaster continued to promote her debunked conspiracy theory on Tuesday's episode of Piers Morgan Uncensored, just weeks after being hit with a defamation lawsuit by French President Emmanuel Macron and the first lady over what they called a 'relentless and unjustified smear campaign.' 'Last time we discussed this on Uncensored, I bet you $150,000 that you were wrong and that she's a woman. On X, when we discussed this further, I doubled it, this is for charity, to $300,000,' the host said. 'You haven't accepted that yet. So right now, $300,000 to charity, I say she's a woman. Are you prepared to take that bet?' Without hesitation, Owens replied: 'I am 1,000 percent prepared to take that bet.' The far-right provocateur said that she had missed Morgan's tweet and, if she did spot it, she would have accepted the wager 'live.' 'So we can totally accept that bet, I believe [Brigette] Macron is a male and they will not be presenting any evidence on the contrary because they would have done it already,' she added.' Morgan, who has repeatedly called Owens's claims 'utter nonsense,' pressed the podcaster whether she would accept that her 'cruel, vindictive' campaign was akin to 'bullying against women' if proved wrong. 'I was not interested in being a crusader against this,' Owens responded. 'I went to them and said, 'If yoy answer these questions, we will not run the series.' I am only interested in the truth.' Following months of Owens' false claims that ' Brigitte Macron is a man' and 'he transitioned' secretly decades ago, which have seen the anti-trans podcaster promote a byzantine and debunked conspiracy theory, the Macrons filed a 219-page defamation complaint in Delaware last month. According to the lawsuit, Owens has 'caused tremendous damage to the Macrons,' adding that her 'tranvestigation' podcast series was designed to feed a 'frenzied fan base' in 'pursuit of fame' and profit. Having said she'd 'stake my entire professional reputation on' the bogus claim about the Macrons, Owens reacted to the lawsuit by saying she'd been sued by the 'first lady man' of France. Owens ramped up rhetoric last Monday (July 28), predicting that Brigitte Marcon's death would be faked before the case reached its discovery phase. Earlier this week, she told Tucker Carlson that President Donald Trump called her directly, imploring her to stop questioning France's first lady's gender, shortly after French President Emmanuel Macron visited the White House in February. After the president allegedly told Owens that 'she looks like a woman to me,' the podcaster continued to peddle her conspiracy, allegedly responding: 'Respectfully, Mr. President, it's not my fault that he married somebody with a penis.' The Independent has reached out to lawyers for the Macrons for comment on Owens' latest remarks.
