American right-wing influencer Candace Owens has vowed to demand that French First Lady Brigitte Macron undergo an independent medical examination after being sued for defamation over claims that the 72-year-old was secretly born male.
The conservative commentator told the Daily Mail on Monday that she would escalate the legal dispute by requiring Mrs Macron to submit to a “third-party examination” as part of the American court’s discovery process. “We’re going to demand Brigitte sit down for an exam with an independent doctor. We’re coming for her medical records,” Owens declared.
The extraordinary demand comes after French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife filed a defamation lawsuit against Owens through a Delaware court in July, seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages for what they described as “outlandish, defamatory, and far-fetched fictions” that fuelled a “campaign of global humiliation.
Owens, 36, who boasts millions of social media followers, sparked the controversy in March 2024 when she announced she was “waging her entire professional reputation” on the theory that the French First Lady was born Jean-Michel Trogneux, the actual name of her older brother, before allegedly transitioning at age 30.
This isn’t France, where Brigitte and Emmanuel Macron get to do whatever they want. This is America,” Owens stated in her latest remarks to the Daily Mail. “You don’t get to skip discovery just because you’re a foreign world leader angry about a podcaster’s First Amendment rights.”
The influencer insisted that the American legal system would require independent verification of any evidence presented. “The court-mandated discovery process does not allow Brigitte to just ‘submit’ evidence. The American court system isn’t some kangaroo court where leaders can just say whatever they want.”
Tom Clare, the lawyer representing the Macrons in the case, has indicated his clients are prepared to present photographic evidence to prove Mrs Macron is a woman. Speaking to the BBC’s Fame Under Fire podcast, Clare said the couple would demonstrate “generically and specifically” that the allegations were false.
Clare revealed there would be “expert testimony that will come out that will be scientific in nature,” though he declined to provide specifics. When asked whether the Macrons would share photographs of the First Lady pregnant and raising her children, he confirmed such evidence would be presented in court “where there are rules and standards.
The lawyer acknowledged the profound impact of the allegations on the French presidential couple. “It is incredibly upsetting to think that you have to go and subject yourself, to put this type of proof forward,” Clare said, adding that Mrs Macron was willing to undergo the process “in a very public way” to “do what it takes to set the record straight.”
Clare described the claims as “extremely upsetting” to the First Lady and a “distraction” to President Macron, though he noted: “I don’t want to suggest that it somehow has thrown him off his game. He’s not immune from that because he’s the president of a country.”
A source familiar with the case revealed that if the matter proceeds to discovery, Owens plans to subpoena Macron’s medical records. Should the case advance further, she would demand that Macron undergo examination by an independent physician to verify her sex at birth.
The defamation lawsuit remains in its early stages, with both parties yet to face off in court. Lawyers for Owens have already moved to dismiss the claim, whilst the influencer continues to repeat the allegations across her social media channels.
The conspiracy theory originated online and gained traction through French bloggers Amandine Roy and Natacha Rey in a 2021 YouTube video. Owens claimed she based her allegations on what she described as a “thorough investigation” by Rey.
The Macrons’ 218-page lawsuit, filed on 23 July in Delaware, accused Owens of promoting “a preposterous narrative about the Macrons, including incendiary and verifiably false accusations of identity theft, incest, violent crimes, and mind control.
In a statement at the time of filing, the presidential couple said: “Because Ms Owens systematically reaffirmed these falsehoods in response to each of our attorneys’ repeated requests for a retraction, we ultimately concluded that referring the matter to a court of law was the only remaining avenue for remedy.
They added: “Ms Owens’ campaign of defamation was plainly designed to harass and cause pain to us and our families and to garner attention and notoriety. We gave her every opportunity to back away from these claims, but she refused.
The Macrons expressed hope that the lawsuit would “set the record straight and end this campaign of defamation once and for all.
The case highlights the increasing prevalence of conspiracy theories targeting public figures and the challenges faced by international leaders in combating misinformation spread through social media platforms. Legal experts suggest the case could set important precedents for how foreign dignitaries pursue defamation claims in American courts.
As the lawsuit progresses through the Delaware court system, both sides appear prepared for a protracted legal battle that will likely draw significant public attention on both sides of the Atlantic. The outcome could have implications for how social media influencers approach controversial claims about public figures in the future.
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