Emmanuel Macron and Wife File New Defamation Lawsuit Against Candace Owens in Tennessee

French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron have initiated a new defamation lawsuit in the United States against conservative American podcaster Candace Owens over false assertions regarding Mrs. Macron’s gender identity. The legal complaint was filed last week in a federal court in Tennessee, where Owens resides, following earlier court proceedings in Delaware.

According to the 411-page court filing, the Macrons argue that Owens has continued to broadcast false claims through her media platform, sell related merchandise, and collect financial contributions based on her commentary. The complaint states that the podcaster's statements falsely accuse the couple of deceiving the French public and international audiences for decades about Mrs. Macron’s identity, as well as committing illegal acts to conceal the alleged deception. The filing maintains that the assertions are demonstrably false and have subjected the Macrons to widespread public humiliation.

The lawsuit in Tennessee represents the second US legal action brought by the Macrons against Owens. In late October, a federal judge in Delaware dismissed an earlier complaint against Owens in an individual capacity on jurisdictional grounds, while allowing the case to proceed against her business entities. Owens acknowledged the latest court action on Monday in a post on X, confirming that a new set of claims had been entered against her.

False claims concerning Brigitte Macron first appeared on French social media networks following her husband's initial presidential election victory in 2017. The narrative gained broader attention in December 2021 through a YouTube video alleging that Mrs. Macron was born as Jean-Michel Trogneux, the name of her real-life brother. A court in France convicted two women of criminal defamation in September 2024 for originating the claim. Owens subsequently introduced the allegations to a wider international audience in March 2024 through an online video series titled Becoming Brigitte.

Written by Sandy van Dongen sandy.vandongen@alpineweekly.com