French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife have filed another defamation lawsuit in Tennessee against American right-wing influencer Candace Owens, following her false claims that Brigitte Macron, France's First Lady, is transgender. The complaint states Owens continues to spread distorted information to gain fame and income despite previous lawsuits.
Emmanuel Macron, President of France, and his wife Brigitte Macron filed an additional defamation suit last week in the U.S. federal court of Tennessee against Candace Owens, a right-wing podcast host and influencer, over her false allegations that France's First Lady is transgender.
The complaint alleges Owens used these false claims to build her platform, gain notoriety, and seek financial gain, asserting she has continued to disseminate such false accusations even after the initial lawsuit.
Owens confirmed via the platform X that the Macrons have indeed filed additional lawsuits against her. The latest case includes 88 defamation counts, covering misleading information and implied defamation.
The new lawsuit was filed on 4 Nov 2023 GMT+7 in Nashville, Tennessee, Owens's residence, following a Delaware court's decision that limited the original July 2025 lawsuit. That court dismissed claims against Owens as an individual due to lack of jurisdiction but allowed the case to proceed against her Delaware-registered company.
The new complaint states that after the first lawsuit, Owens continued to spread defamatory claims through an eight-episode podcast series titled "Becoming Brigitte" and posts on X, alleging she persistently published exaggerated, distorted, and defamatory content.
Additionally, it accuses Owens of financial motives behind spreading these claims, using her podcast to amplify accusations, selling mocking merchandise about the Macrons, and accepting donations from followers supporting her content.
The complaint also references a doll Owens calls the "Brigitte Doll," shown in her videos, described as a bizarre alien-like figure mocking Brigitte Macron’s appearance. It alleges that using this doll reflects hostility toward the First Lady's gender identity and sexuality as Owens perceives them.
The Macrons state in their complaint that they have been targets of ongoing global harassment, with their private lives, marriage, family, and personal histories twisted into stories that promote hatred and profit.
However, the complaint emphasizes that being male, transgender, or gay is not shameful or defamatory. Owens's allegations are defamatory because they accuse the Macrons of lying to France and the world for decades about Brigitte’s identity and committing wrongdoing to conceal it.
The Macrons seek actual damages, statutory damages, punitive damages, and a court order prohibiting Owens from further spreading defamatory statements.
Brigitte Macron, aged 73, previously pursued legal action in France over similar allegations. In September 2024, two women were found guilty for spreading false information in a December 2021 YouTube video claiming she was once a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux, who is actually her brother.
False claims about Brigitte have circulated on French social media since Emmanuel Macron's first presidential election in 2017, expanding internationally, especially in the U.S., after Owens publicized the allegations in March 2024.
Owens stated on X that the latest lawsuit includes 88 counts and mentions the "Brigitte Doll." She expressed displeasure at the Macrons calling the doll a disgusting freak and said the doll will not comment further at this time.
This new case escalates the legal dispute between the Macrons and Owens, who continues to propagate false claims about France's First Lady’s identity despite facing lawsuits in both France and the U.S.