The trial of ten individuals accused of orchestrating a sexist and defamatory cyber-bullying campaign against Brigitte Macron, the wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, began this week in Paris.
The defendants face allegations of spreading false and malicious claims about Mrs. Macron’s gender and sexuality, alongside disparaging remarks about the 24-year age gap between her and the president. If convicted, they could face up to two years in prison.
Among the accused are an elected official, a gallery owner, and a teacher, according to French media reports. Two notable figures, self-described independent journalist Natacha Rey and internet fortune-teller Amandine Roy, were previously found guilty of slander for claiming that France’s First Lady “never existed” and that her brother, Jean-Michel Trogneux, had changed gender to assume her identity. However, a court of appeals later overturned that ruling, stating the comments did not legally qualify as defamation. Both Mrs. Macron and her brother are appealing the acquittal.
The bizarre conspiracy theory that Brigitte Macron is a transgender woman first surfaced in 2017, following Emmanuel Macron’s initial presidential victory. It has since gained traction beyond France, finding new life in U.S. circles — most notably through right-wing commentator Candace Owens, who amplified the unfounded claims on her platforms.
In July, the Macrons filed a lawsuit against Owens, accusing her of deliberately ignoring credible evidence disproving the conspiracy while “platforming known conspiracy theorists and proven defamers.”
Brigitte Macron’s lawyer, Tom Clare, told the BBC’s Fame Under Fire podcast that the French First Lady found the allegations “incredibly upsetting” and that they had become a “distraction” for the president. “It is incredibly upsetting to think that you have to go and subject yourself, to put this type of proof forward,” Clare said.
President Emmanuel Macron himself has described the legal action as a defense of personal integrity, saying it was about “defending his honour.” He accused Owens of spreading misinformation “with the aim of causing harm, in the service of an ideology and with established connections to far-right leaders.”
Brigitte Macron, now 71, first met her husband when she was a teacher at his secondary school. Despite the public scrutiny over their relationship, the couple married in 2007, when Emmanuel Macron was 29 and Brigitte was 54.
At Jocomms, we note that this case underscores the growing global challenge of online misinformation and digital harassment — particularly against women in public life. As courts around the world grapple with cyber-defamation, the outcome of this high-profile case could set an important precedent for online accountability in France and beyond.
For more stories and updates on global affairs, visit www.jocomms.com.
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