American far-right commentator Candace Owens is facing a high-stakes legal battle after French First Lady Brigitte Macron filed a defamation lawsuit against her. The case centres on Owens's persistent and bizarre claims that Brigitte Macron was born male, allegations a Paris court has already deemed "particularly degrading, insulting and malicious" in related prosecutions.
The Macron lawsuit and escalating conspiracies
President Emmanuel Macron and his wife initiated civil proceedings last summer, accusing Owens of orchestrating "a campaign of global humiliation" and "relentless bullying on a worldwide scale." This followed separate criminal cases in France where, on Monday 5 January 2026, eight men and two women were convicted of cyberbullying the first lady over her gender and sexuality.
Owens's foray into what she terms "mind yoga" has grown increasingly extreme. In November, she alleged, without evidence, that the Macrons had attempted to have her assassinated—a claim flatly denied by the French security forces she implicated. Her rhetoric took an even more disturbing turn following the September death of Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist and her former boss at Turning Point USA.
Owens suggested Kirk's shooting was an "inside job," prompting his longtime producer, Blake Neff, to publicly condemn her for "attacking Charlie's closest friends" and inciting harassment.
Building a misinformation empire
Owens's rise to become one of the internet's most influential—and dangerous—voices is a story of strategic controversy. From Democratic-leaning beginnings, including an internship at Vogue, she pivoted hard to the right after 2016. She found her platform with Turning Point USA, where founder Charlie Kirk immediately recognised her "talent."
Her notoriety soared after a 2018 London event where she appeared to suggest Hitler's policies would have been "fine" had he not sought to expand beyond Germany, a comment she later claimed was taken out of context. She launched the BLEXIT Foundation to urge Black voters to leave the Democratic Party, garnering public support from Kanye West.
After leaving Turning Point and a subsequent stint at the Daily Wire ended in 2024, Owens launched her self-titled podcast. Its growth has been meteoric. By October 2025, it was the number one show across platforms by downloads, averaging 3.5 million listens per episode. Analytics suggest her company now generates up to $10 million in annual revenue.
The lucrative business of outrage
Owens's husband, British businessman George Farmer, oversees a shrewd operation where outrage directly translates to profit. He told Bloomberg that advertisers see returns of "two-to-one on dollars spent with us, and up to five-to-one." The podcast now boasts nearly 60 sponsors.
Her strategy blends conspiracy deep-dives with the aesthetic of a lifestyle influencer. Her website, Club Candace, sells merchandise like "conspiracy theorist" mugs and "we don't know-know, but we know" sweaters, encapsulating her cavalier attitude towards facts.
However, the Macron lawsuit presents an existential threat. Owens is seeking around $5 million in donations for her legal defence, but potential liabilities could be far greater. The case mirrors that of Alex Jones, ordered to pay $1.4 billion for defamation. While US law makes such cases difficult for public figures to win, a loss in France could be crippling.
By targeting former allies like Turning Point and propagating ever-wilder theories, Owens risks fracturing her support base. Yet, in the current media landscape, where controversy pays and "ragebait" reigns, scandals have only fuelled her growth. The Macron case will test whether her notoriety is truly an unstoppable superpower or finally a bridge too far.
