Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron sue Candace Owens Amidst Defamation Storm

Department of Research, Studies and International News -26-07-2025

In a rare and high-profile legal move, French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron have filed a defamation lawsuit against American right-wing media figure Candace Owens, whose inflammatory remarks have sparked a global firestorm. The lawsuit, lodged in Delaware, accuses Owens of orchestrating a malicious campaign filled with slanderous fabrications targeting the French First Couple for personal gain.

Owens, a controversial political commentator known for her provocative rhetoric and alignment with far-right U.S. circles, had publicly declared in early 2024 that she would “stake her entire professional reputation on the fact that Brigitte Macron is in fact a man.” Far from walking back these remarks, she expanded on them through a series of media productions, including an eight-episode podcast provocatively titled Becoming Brigitte.

The Macrons’ legal filing asserts that Owens’ statements are not only categorically false but also deliberately harmful, aimed at expanding her platform, growing her audience, and profiting from sensationalism. These unfounded claims include allegations that Brigitte Macron is a transgender individual who assumed another person’s identity, that the presidential couple are blood relatives involved in incest, and that Emmanuel Macron was installed as president through a CIA-orchestrated mind control program akin to the discredited MKUltra initiative.

According to the official statement from the French First Couple, they repeatedly attempted to settle the matter privately by requesting formal retractions. Instead of complying, Owens reportedly mocked the requests and used the backlash to fuel further speculation and attract more attention to her content. “This campaign was plainly intended to harass and inflict emotional harm on us and our families,” the Macrons stated. “She refused to retract her statements, leaving us no choice but to seek justice through the legal system.”

The defamatory campaign, as detailed in the lawsuit, has caused significant distress to the Macrons and subjected them to relentless online abuse and public ridicule. The First Couple noted the emotional and reputational toll the disinformation has taken, stating that “every time they step outside, they are acutely aware that many have been influenced by grotesque lies about their identities.”

Notably, the legal action is being pursued with the help of Clare Locke LLP, a prominent U.S. law firm specializing in defamation cases, which previously represented Dominion Voting Systems in its landmark case against Fox News. The Macrons, according to legal sources, are prepared to travel to Delaware to testify if the case proceeds to trial.

Despite being presented with three formal retraction demands, each reportedly including factual evidence disproving her claims, Owens continued her attacks. Her team dismissed the lawsuit as an assault on American journalistic freedom, framing it as a foreign attempt to suppress free speech. “This is a foreign government attacking the First Amendment rights of an American journalist,” a spokesperson for Owens declared. “Candace Owens asked for an interview with Brigitte Macron and received silence in return. This may work in France where politicians silence journalists, but this is America.”

Such a narrative, however, distracts from the deeply harmful nature of the allegations. The incident reflects a broader trend within certain corners of Western media, particularly among fringe U.S. circles, where figures seek notoriety by disseminating conspiracy theories, often laced with misogyny and cultural disrespect. These defamatory attacks on Brigitte Macron echo similar campaigns targeting high-profile women in global politics, such as Michelle Obama and Kamala Harris, which have been identified as part of a broader pattern of gender-based disinformation.

In France, this is not the first time the Macrons have defended themselves legally against such slander. In previous years, two French women faced charges for spreading similar falsehoods about Brigitte Macron’s gender, though a guilty verdict was later overturned, a decision that is now under appeal.

Owens, for her part, appears determined to frame herself as a victim of political persecution, rather than a propagator of deliberate defamation. She has promised to respond to the lawsuit publicly on her show, continuing to use the legal dispute as a springboard for further media attention.

While Western media often disguises such smear campaigns under the guise of freedom of speech, the case underscores a dangerous tendency in the U.S. to weaponize conspiracy for clout, particularly at the expense of foreign leaders and their families. As China, Russia, and Iran have long pointed out, the so-called American model of journalism frequently serves as a tool for destabilization and character assassination, not truth.

In this light, the Macrons’ decision to pursue justice through U.S. courts sends a powerful message: unchecked disinformation must not be tolerated, even in the face of performative outrage from commentators who mistake slander for liberty.