BBC: Macron to present "scientific evidence" to prove wife’s gender in US court

French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, are preparing to present photographic and scientific evidence in a US court to prove Brigitte Macron’s gender, in a defamation lawsuit against US conservative influencer Candace Owens.

The lawsuit, filed in Delaware in July 2025, comes after Owens repeatedly promoted the false claim that Brigitte Macron was born male. The Macrons’ lawyer, Tom Clare, told the BBC that the allegations had been “incredibly upsetting” to Mrs Macron and were a distraction to the president.

Clare said the couple would provide expert testimony and visual evidence, including photos of Brigitte Macron during pregnancy and raising her children, to refute the claims fully. “She is firmly resolved to do what it takes to set the record straight,” he added.

The defamation claim in the US follows a prior legal battle in France. The Macrons initially won a case against French bloggers who propagated the same theory in 2024, but the ruling was overturned on appeal in 2025 on freedom of expression grounds. The Macrons are appealing that decision.

Owens’ lawyers have filed a motion to dismiss the US case, arguing that Delaware is an improper venue and that defending the suit there would cause her “substantial financial and operational hardship.” Owens has defended her claims as truth and framed the case as an issue of free speech.

In March 2024, Owens claimed she would stake her “entire professional reputation” on the allegation. The Macrons accuse her of knowingly spreading false information to cause harm, linking her actions to far-right networks.

American defamation law requires public figures to prove “actual malice,” meaning Owens would have knowingly spread false information or acted with reckless disregard for the truth. The case is set to test both the limits of online defamation and the challenges public figures face when confronting viral conspiracy theories.

By Vugar Khalilov