French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte are set to take "photographic and scientific proof" to court in order to dismiss ongoing rumors concerning the gender identity of the First Lady. The action comes following a defamation claim they launched in July against US far-right commentator Candace Owens, who has continually made false allegations against Mrs Macron.
Owens claimed that Brigitte Macron was born male, named Jean-Michel Trogneux, and had "groomed" young Emmanuel Macron before transitioning.
Tom Clare, the Macrons' lawyer and co-founder of the law firm Clare Locke, said the allegations had been highly distressing for Mrs Macron and had become an unwanted "distraction" for the French president.
"I don't want to suggest that it somehow has thrown him off his game. But just like anybody who is juggling a career and a family life as well, when your family is under attack, it wears on you," Mr Clare said, adding, "and he's not immune from that because he's the president of a country.
He said that the "expert testimony that will come out, that will be scientific in nature." Mr Clare did not reveal the "exact nature" of the testimony, but said that the couple was "prepared to demonstrate fully, both generically and specifically," that the allegations were false.
Speaking about the Macrons, Mr Clare said, "These folks are obviously important on the world stage, but they're also human beings, and it's offensive and hurtful to them to be accused of effectively criminal acts and conspiring to lie to the world about their identities."
"It is incredibly upsetting to think that you have to go and subject yourself to put this type of proof forward," he said.
Brigitte Macron, now 72 and a mother of three, met Emmanuel Macron—24 years younger than her—when she was a teacher at a high school in Amiens, where the future president was a pupil under her care.
When asked if photos of Brigitte pregnant and with her children from Macron would be given by the Macrons, Clare confirmed they do exist and will be shown in court, adding legal proceedings have specific standards and norms.
Owens, with over six million followers on Instagram, has repeatedly stated that France's First Lady "was born male." In March 2024, she went further again, saying she would stake her "whole professional reputation" on the claim.
The conspiracy theory originally appeared in far-right online forums, before spreading in 2021 in a YouTube video from French vloggers Amandine Roy and Natacha Rey, says the BBC.
In 2024, Macrons prevailed against Roy and Rey in a French court in a suit for defamation, but the decision was overturned on appeal in 2025, with the court ruling on grounds of freedom of expression rather than genuineness of allegations.
Clare explained his team researched Owens' past to get to know her influence and ties. I'm not sure if it's the motive, but we found strong connections between Owens and the French far-right."
"She's got a significant audience, people listen to her, not just her many listeners on her podcast, but mainstream media reports cite her in reporting on this false story," he explained.
In a July interview with CNN, Clare said that taking legal action in Delaware was "essentially a last resort" after more than a year of failed efforts to persuade Owens to desist from spreading falsehoods. The Macrons had repeatedly urged her to "do the right thing: tell the truth, please cease spreading these falsehoods.
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