Lawyers for French First Lady Brigitte Macron have said she is willing to provide proof to refute Candace Owens’ claims that she is not a biological woman.
ICYMI, the wife of French President Emmanuel Macron has been at the centre of a legal case launched against Candace — a far-right US political commentator — over her repeated claims that Brigitte was born a male.
It’s a conspiracy that has reportedly floated around France’s far-right circles since at least 2021, but it picked up steam in March of this year, when Candace vowed in a YouTube video to “wage her entire professional reputation” on the claim that Brigitte is not a woman.
Candace’s outlandish claim prompted the Macrons to file a 218-page defamation lawsuit against Candace in July seeking unspecified damages, and now Brigitte’s lawyer, Tom Clare, has said she’s willing to debunk the claims with photographic and “scientific” proof.
Speaking to the BBC, Clare said there will be “expert testimony” proving Brigitte’s gender that “will be scientific in nature”, including photos of the First Lady pregnant that will be presented in court.
“It is incredibly upsetting to think that you have to go and subject yourself to put this type of proof forward,” Clare said, “[but Brigitte] is firmly resolved to do what it takes to set the record straight.”
“She’s willing to do it,” he added.
It marks the latest development in the defamation suit, which accuses Candace, known for her controversial views, of a “campaign of global humiliation” and “relentless bullying”.
In a statement shared when the lawsuit was first filed, the Macrons said legal action was the only suitable avenue because Candace “systematically reaffirmed these falsehoods in response to each of our attorneys’ repeated requests for a retraction”.
“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 statement read.
On the opposing end, Candace’s lawyers sought to have the lawsuit dismissed on the grounds that defending herself would cause “substantial financial and operational hardship”.
Candace has also doubled-down on the claims on social media, insisting she believes them to be true and defending them as free speech.
Unfortunately, it’s not the first time the Macrons have been forced to address such rumours.
In 2024, the pair sued bloggers Natacha Rey and Amandine Roy for pushing the claims about Brigitte’s gender on their YouTube channels.
The Macrons won that case and Rey and Roy were slapped with fines, but an appeals court overturned the ruling in June of this year on freedom of expression grounds.
Emmanuel and Brigitte are currently appealing that reversal, and Emmanuel has since made public comments about the detriment caused by speculation over Brigitte’s gender.
“This is about defending my honour, because this is nonsense,” Emmanuel said in an interview with Paris Match last month.
“This is someone who knew full well that she had false information and did so with the aim of causing harm,” he added.
The defamation case will hinge on whether Candace acted with malice and knowingly spread lies.
Lead images: Getty Images
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