The French president, Emmanuel Macron, and his wife, Brigitte, are preparing to submit scientific evidence to a US court to prove that Brigitte Macron was not born a man, according to their lawyer. The couple filed a defamation suit in July against rightwing influencer Candace Owens and her business, alleging ongoing defamatory attacks aimed at boosting her media profile and generating revenue.
Owens has repeatedly claimed that Brigitte Macron is a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux, even stating she would stake her professional reputation on the claim. The Macrons' lawyer, Tom Clare, told the BBC's Fame under Fire podcast that the claims have been “incredibly upsetting” for Brigitte and a distraction for the president. Clare said expert testimony of a scientific nature would be presented, though he did not specify the details.
The lawsuit states that Trogneux is Brigitte's older brother, who lives in Amiens and attended Macron's presidential inaugurations. Brigitte Macron, 72, is 24 years older than her husband and has three children from a previous marriage. The false claims first emerged in France in 2021, and the couple previously won a defamation case against two bloggers, though an appeals court later overturned the ruling on technical grounds.
Clare added that Brigitte is resolved to go through the public process to set the record straight, and that photos of her pregnant and raising her children would be presented. Owens' lawyers have filed a motion to dismiss the case, arguing it should not be heard in Delaware, while Owens maintains her allegations.
