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Macrons File Defamation Suit Against Candace Owens Over False Transgender Rumors

The suit seeks unspecified damages via jury trial under the demanding U.S. actual malice standard after Owens’s eight-part series falsely claimed Brigitte Macron was born male.

France's President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron attend a ceremony during their visit to The British Museum in London, Britain, July 9, 2025. LUDOVIC MARIN/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
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L: Candace Owens is seen on set of "Candace" on April 19, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. R: French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron arrive at Downing Street on July 9, 2025 in London, England.

Overview

  • The Macrons filed a 22-count defamation lawsuit in Delaware Superior Court on July 23 seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
  • The complaint alleges that Owens’s eight-part “Becoming Brigitte” series and related posts falsely claimed that Brigitte Macron was born male as Jean-Michel Trogneux and accused the couple of incest and fraud.
  • Under U.S. public-figure defamation law, the Macrons must prove that Owens acted with actual malice by knowingly publishing falsehoods or showing reckless disregard for the truth.
  • Represented by defamation-focused firm Clare Locke, the Macrons are seeking a jury trial and have said they are prepared to attend in person to pursue punitive damages.
  • Owens has signaled she will defend her statements on her podcast and characterized the suit as a foreign government attacking an American journalist’s First Amendment rights.