The false claim that Brigitte Macron was born male has produced three separate legal proceedings: a French libel case against the two women who first spread the rumor in a 2021 video, a Paris criminal prosecution of ten people for cyber-harassment of the First Lady, and a defamation lawsuit filed by Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron against American commentator Candace Owens in Delaware. As of mid-2026, the French libel case is pending before the Court of Cassation after an appeals court acquittal, the ten cyberbullying defendants were convicted on January 5, 2026, and the Owens case is awaiting a June 22, 2026 hearing on her motion to dismiss.
What the Lawsuits Are About
The rumor took hold in December 2021, when self-described independent journalist Natacha Rey and medium Amandine Roy posted a four-hour YouTube interview alleging that Brigitte Macron was actually born “Jean-Michel Trogneux” and had transitioned before assuming a female identity. The video drew hundreds of thousands of views in 48 hours and pushed the hashtag #JeanMichelTrogneux into trending in France.1The Guardian. Emmanuel Brigitte Macron Candace Owens Conspiracy Theory Jean-Michel Trogneux
The claim is false. Jean-Michel Trogneux is Brigitte Macron’s real 80-year-old brother, one of her five siblings from Amiens, and he appeared publicly with her at Emmanuel Macron’s presidential inaugurations in both 2017 and 2022. Brigitte Macron has three children from a previous marriage and married Emmanuel Macron in 2007.1The Guardian. Emmanuel Brigitte Macron Candace Owens Conspiracy Theory Jean-Michel Trogneux
The French Libel Case Against Roy and Rey
Brigitte Macron filed a libel complaint against Amandine Roy and Natacha Rey shortly after their video was posted. On September 12, 2024, the Paris Criminal Court convicted both women of defamation, ordering them to pay €8,000 in damages to Brigitte Macron and €5,000 to her brother, with suspended fines of €500 each.2Le Monde. Brigitte Macron Awarded Damages From Women Who Spread False Claim She Is Transgender3BBC News. French Court Finds Two Women Guilty of Slander Over Brigitte Macron Trans Claims
On July 10, 2025, the Paris Court of Appeal overturned those convictions. The appeals court found that the defendants had acted in “good faith” and cited freedom of expression in a democratic society. It did not rule on whether the underlying claims were true.4Reuters. French Court Ruled on Defamation Case on Appeals, Not Brigitte Macrons Gender5Le Monde. French Court Clears Defendants in French First Lady Brigitte Macrons Gender Rumours Trial
Brigitte Macron and her brother appealed to the Court of Cassation, France’s highest court of appeal, which reviews whether lower courts correctly applied the law rather than reweighing the facts. Their lawyer, Jean Ennochi, confirmed the appeal on July 14, 2025. No hearing date has been announced.6Le Monde. Brigitte Macron Takes Gender Libel Case to Frances Highest Appeals Court7RFI. Brigitte Macron Launches Appeal Against Acquittal in Gender Rumours Case
The Paris Cyberbullying Trial and January 2026 Convictions
Separately, French prosecutors charged ten people with sexist cyber-harassment of the First Lady. The defendants, eight men and two women aged 41 to 65, were accused of posting comments that falsely claimed Brigitte Macron was born male and that linked the 24-year age gap between her and her husband to allegations of pedophilia. The trial ran two days in October 2025.8France 24. Ten People Found Guilty Cyberbullying France First Lady Brigitte Macron
On January 5, 2026, the Paris court convicted all ten. The judge described their comments as “particularly degrading, insulting, and malicious” and made with a “clear desire to do harm.” Aurélien Poirson-Atlan, who posted under the name “Zoé Sagan” and was identified as one of the primary instigators, received an eight-month suspended prison sentence and a six-month social media suspension. Delphine Jegousse, known online as Amandine Roy and the medium who hosted the original 2021 video, received a six-month suspended sentence and a six-month social media suspension. The remaining defendants received suspended sentences ranging from two to eight months; one, a teacher, was ordered only to attend cyberbullying awareness training, which all ten were required to complete. The defendants were collectively ordered to pay €10,000 in moral damages.9CBS News. Brigitte Macron Cyberbullying French First Lady 10 Convicted One defendant who failed to appear received an immediate jail sentence rather than a suspended one.10BBC News. Ten Found Guilty of Cyberbullying Brigitte Macron
The Delaware Defamation Suit Against Candace Owens
On July 23, 2025, Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron filed a 218-page complaint against Candace Owens, her company Candace Owens LLC, and GeorgeTom, Inc. in the Superior Court of Delaware. Brought by the firm Clare Locke, the suit contains 22 counts of defamation, false light, and defamation by implication, and seeks a jury trial and unspecified punitive damages.11CNN. Emmanuel Brigitte Macron Candace Owens Lawsuit12France 24. Macrons File Defamation Suit Against US Podcaster Over Transgender Rumours
Owens, an American commentator with nearly four million YouTube subscribers, produced an eight-part series titled “Becoming Brigitte” in which she promoted the claim that Brigitte Macron was born male, along with related claims that the Macrons are blood relatives, that Emmanuel Macron was selected for the presidency through a “CIA-operated mind control program,” and that the couple committed forgery and fraud to conceal these alleged secrets. Owens also sold related merchandise.11CNN. Emmanuel Brigitte Macron Candace Owens Lawsuit In March 2024, before the series ran, she declared she would “stake my entire professional reputation on the fact that Brigitte Macron is in fact a man.”13France 24. How Did Online Rumours That Brigitte Macron Was Born Male Go Viral
The complaint alleges a “relentless year-long campaign of defamation” and says Owens repeatedly refused to retract her statements. The Macrons’ attorney, Tom Clare, told reporters the couple intends to present “expert testimony that will be scientific in nature” together with photographs of Brigitte pregnant and raising her children.14BBC News. Macrons to Submit Scientific Evidence to Prove Brigitte Is Not a Man15The Guardian. Macrons Submit Scientific Evidence to US Court to Prove Brigitte Not a Man
Owens’ Motion to Dismiss
Owens has responded publicly with defiance, telling her audience, “I am fully prepared to take on this battle” and calling the filing a “catastrophic PR strategy.” She has continued to repeat the disputed claims and asked supporters to donate to a legal fund she estimated at $5 million.16Time. Candace Owens Brigitte Macron Defamation Lawsuit Response
Her legal team has moved to dismiss on three grounds. They argue the Delaware court lacks personal jurisdiction because Owens lives in Tennessee, records her podcast in Nashville, and has no meaningful connection to Delaware beyond business entities registered there. They characterize the suit as “quintessential libel tourism” and contend it should be time-barred because, under Delaware’s borrowing statute, France’s three-month statute of limitations for defamation should apply. Finally, they invoke forum non conveniens, arguing that no relevant witnesses or evidence sit in Delaware and that defending against a foreign head of state there would impose “overwhelming hardship.”17Delaware Business Court Insider. Libel Tourism Conservative Influencer Says Delaware Court Lacks Jurisdiction in French First Couples Defamation Case
Briefing closed with Owens’ reply on January 9, 2026. A hearing before Judge Sheldon K. Rennie is set for June 22, 2026, in the Superior Court of New Castle County. The hearing was originally scheduled for April 2026 and was postponed.18Delaware Courts. Docket Report, Emmanuel Macron et al. v. Candace Owens et al.
Why the U.S. Case Is Harder to Win
The Delaware suit sits under a stricter defamation standard than the French cases. As public figures suing in a U.S. court, the Macrons must prove “actual malice,” meaning they must show Owens knew her claims were false or acted with reckless disregard for the truth. That standard, drawn from the Supreme Court’s public-figure doctrine, is more demanding than French defamation law, which places the burden on defendants to show they acted in good faith.19BBC News. Macrons Sue Candace Owens Over Brigitte Transgender Claim20Christian Science Monitor. Brigitte Macron Trans Defamation Law France US The Delaware court has not yet reached the merits; Owens’ jurisdictional and statute-of-limitations arguments will be decided first.