French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte have filed a defamation suit in Delaware against U.S. commentator Candace Owens, www.naijnaira.com reports.
Filed on Wednesday, the lawsuit accuses Owens of a deliberate online campaign aimed at defaming Brigitte by pushing false claims that she was born male.
Court documents submitted in Delaware Superior Court state that Owens knowingly misled her audience by saying Brigitte Macron was originally named Jean-Michel Trogneux, the name of her older brother.
The filing accuses Owens of running a “campaign of global humiliation,” using personal attacks on the Macrons’ relationship, background, and identity to draw views.
“Every inch of our private lives was twisted to fit a hateful narrative,” reads a statement from the couple’s legal team.
In response, Owens called the lawsuit “a desperate public relations strategy,” and claimed she wasn’t notified in advance despite legal talks beginning in January.
Her spokesperson described the filing as an attempt by “a foreign government to silence an American journalist’s First Amendment rights.”
According to Reuters, the lawsuit was prompted after Owens ignored three retraction demands from the couple’s legal representatives.
The Macrons said, “She chose publicity over truth. We gave her several chances to stop.”
The suit points to Owens’ eight-part podcast Becoming Brigitte, which has drawn millions of views, and alleges it spreads harmful falsehoods, including claims of incest and identity theft.
The podcast accuses Brigitte of being transgender and suggests the couple are related, which the lawsuit labels as “verifiably false.”
Rumors about Brigitte’s gender reportedly began circulating in 2021, gaining traction through podcasts hosted by figures like Tucker Carlson and Joe Rogan.
The legal documents clarify that Emmanuel and Brigitte’s relationship began while he was a student and she was a teacher but remained lawful.
Brigitte previously won a defamation case in France against two women who promoted similar gender-related rumors, though that ruling was overturned on appeal.
She is currently seeking to reverse that appeal through France’s highest court.
In the U.S., the legal standard for defamation is high and requires proof of “actual malice” — that the speaker knowingly spread falsehoods or was reckless with the truth.
This isn’t the first time a global political figure has taken legal action in American courts. Donald Trump has pursued multiple defamation claims, including against media outlets.
Candace Owens has over 6.9 million followers on X and 4.5 million subscribers on YouTube, giving her significant online reach.
The case is listed as Macron et al v Owens et al, Delaware Superior Court, No. N25C-07-194.
Article updated 3 months ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
