Emmanuel Macron says he is suing US influencer to ‘defend his honour’ over ludicrous claims wife Brigitte was born a man – as he aims ‘free speech’ dig at Trump

French president Emmanuel Macron has claimed the lawsuit he and his wife have filed against right-wing American influencer Candace Owens was put forward to ‘defend his honour.’

Since last year, 36-year-old Owens has espoused a crackpot theory to her four million YouTube subscribers that Macron’s 72-year-old wife Brigitte was born a man. 

Owens launched a podcast series called Becoming Brigitte, in which she delves into the conspiracy. She claims that Brigitte was born under the name ‘Jean-Michel Trogneux.’

Her actions led Macron and his wife to file a lawsuit in the US against Owens in July, claiming that they had ‘suffered substantial reputational damage’ and spent ‘considerable sums of money to correct the public record.’

Macron told Paris Match that while he was warned that taking legal action against Owens may result in the ‘”Streisand effect”, drawing even more attention to these lies… It grew so big in the United States that we had to respond.

‘It is a matter of upholding the truth. It’s about defending my honour. Because this is nonsense.’ 

He also hit out at the Trump administration, dismissing arguments that his lawsuits was an impingement on free speech. 

Referring to the Trump administration’s decision to ban some mainstream outlets, he said: ‘It is not freedom of speech to want to prevent the truth from being restored. Those who talk about this supposed freedom of speech are the people who ban journalists from the Oval Office. I don’t accept that.’

Instead, he claims, Owens ‘knew very well that she was using false news to cause damage, in the service of an ideology and with established connections with the far Right.’ 

The conspiracy theory was first shared with the world in 2021 by spiritual medium Amandine Roy and Natacha Rey, a self-described ‘independent investigative journalist, self-taught, and not from the inner circle of mainstream media’ who worked for a small essential oils firm. 

It was picked up in the US, being discussed by top MAGA figures including Tucker Carlson and Joe Rogan. 

Since the 22-count lawsuit was filed in Delaware, Owens has ramped up her attacks and described the libel action as ‘goofy’ and a ‘vicious public relations.’

She has said she is ‘fully prepared to take on this battle’ and has promised to fight this in Delaware. 

The Macrons’ lawsuit claims Owens repeatedly ignored requests to retract her false claims, and continues to profit from them. 

No trial date has yet been set.  

Earlier this month, it was revealed that lawyers hired by Brigitte and Emmanuel Macron hired top investigators to dig up dirt on Owens before suing her. 

As part of the legal process, the couple hired investigators from Nardello & Co., a top corporate intelligence firm, the FT reports. 

In its report, Nardello & Co. described Owens’ links to the far-right in France as well as her connections to populist figures in both the UK and US, along with her online interactions with a Russian nationalist. 

They also reportedly outlined her shift from a self-identifying liberal in her early career to a conservative, as well as her support for Donald Trump that she recently dropped. 

According to the newspaper, the investigators were tasked with documenting Owens’ public statements and detailing her background.

Lawyers often task investigative firms with digging up information on people they intend to sue on their clients’ behalf.  

The Macrons’ lawyer, Tom Clare, told the FT that their decision to sue came from their desire to understand why a conservative American podcaster has taken such an interest in them.