By Joseph Ataman, Saskya Vandoorne | CNN
Paris (CNN) — French President Emmanuel Macron and his spouse, Brigitte, filed a 22-count defamation lawsuit in the USA towards right-wing podcaster Candace Owens Wednesday over the declare that Brigitte could possibly be a person.
The lawsuit filed in Delaware Superior Courtroom alleges Owens has broadcast “a relentless year-long campaign of defamation against the Macrons” in response to a press release from Tom Clare, the Macrons’ lawyer.
In March, conservative commentator Candace Owens revived an absurd conspiracy idea with a YouTube video titled “Is France’s First Lady a Man?” in response to the criticism.
Promoted broadly on X, Owens mentioned the conspiracy idea was, “likely the biggest scandal in political history.”
Since then, Owens has produced quite a few movies about Brigitte Macron for her practically 4.5 million YouTube subscribers, together with a multi-part sequence known as “Becoming Brigitte.”
The lawsuit additional claims she has additionally bought merchandise selling the declare.
The Macrons’ legal professional Tom Clare informed CNN Wednesday that that they had requested Owens to cease making the declare for a couple of 12 months and filed the lawsuit as a “last resort” after she refused.
The criticism alleges Owens was the primary particular person to deliver these baseless claims to the US media and a global viewers. The couple are suing for punitive damages and allege that they’ve suffered “substantial economic damages” together with lack of future enterprise alternatives.
On Instagram, Owens posted a screenshot Wednesday of an article referencing the Macrons’ lawsuit and an image 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 remark.
Individually, Brigitte Macron sued two French girls for spreading related claims in 2022. After successful the preliminary case, this 12 months the ladies gained an attraction and the lawsuit will go to the next courtroom, in response to CNN affiliate BFMTV.
In accordance with the assertion, these retraction calls for to Owens have been 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 will not be being managed 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 criticism mentioned.
The claims brought on, “tremendous damage” to the Macrons, the criticism 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 criticism continued.
Clare mentioned, “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 in search of punitive damages towards Owens and her enterprise entities for 22 counts of defamation, false gentle, and defamation by implication, the assertion mentioned.
Clare declined to say the amount of cash the Macrons would search however warned that if Owens continues to double-down on the declare, “it’ll be a substantial award.”
At a Paris occasion in March 2024, Macron addressed the rumor round his spouse saying that the worst a part of being a president was having to cope with “the false information and fabricated stories.”
“People end up believing them, and it disrupts your life, even in your most private moments,” Macron mentioned.
France’s Elysee Palace mentioned the lawsuit was a “private affair” and wouldn’t touch upon the matter.
Initially Revealed: July 23, 2025 at 5:57 PM PDT
