French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, filed a 22-count defamation lawsuit in the United States against right-wing podcaster Candace Owens Wednesday over the claim that Brigitte could be a man.
The lawsuit filed in Delaware Superior Court alleges Owens has broadcast “a relentless year-long campaign of defamation against the Macrons” according to a statement from Tom Clare, the Macrons’ lawyer.
In March, conservative commentator Candace Owens revived an absurd conspiracy theory with a YouTube video titled “Is France’s First Lady a Man?” according to the complaint.
Promoted widely on X, Owens said the conspiracy theory was, “likely the biggest scandal in political history.”
Since then, Owens has produced numerous videos about Brigitte Macron for her nearly 4.5 million YouTube subscribers, including a multi-part series called “Becoming Brigitte.”
The lawsuit further claims she has also sold merchandise promoting the claim.
The Macrons’ complaint alleges Owens was the first person to bring these baseless claims to the US media and an international audience. The couple are suing for punitive damages and allege that they have suffered “substantial economic damages” including loss of future business opportunities.
The Macrons said in the lawsuit that Owens rebuffed three separate demands for retractions, with the first coming in December and the final sent July 1, and continued to push “outlandish, defamatory, and far-fetched fictions” about the French president and first lady.
“These claims are demonstrably false, and Owens knew they were false when she published them,” the lawsuit states. “Yet, she published them anyway. And the reason is clear: it is not the pursuit of truth, but the pursuit of fame.”
Emmanuel Macron and Brigitte Macron said in a statement that they decided to file their lawsuit after Owens doubled down on the falsehoods despite their lawyers’ retraction requests.
On Instagram, Owens posted a screenshot Wednesday of an article referencing the Macrons’ lawsuit and a picture of the couple with the caption: “I will be coming for this wig today. Stay tuned.”
Separately, Brigitte Macron sued two French women for spreading similar claims in 2022. After winning the initial case, this year the women won an appeal and the lawsuit will go to a higher court.
The Macrons are seeking punitive damages against Owens and her business entities for 22 counts of defamation, false light, and defamation by implication, the statement said.
At a Paris event in March 2024, Macron addressed the rumor around his wife saying that the worst part of being a president was having to deal with “the false information and fabricated stories.”
“People end up believing them, and it disrupts your life, even in your most private moments,” Macron said.