French First Lady Brigitte Macron Will Present Court with Photographic and Scientific Evidence That Proves She's a Woman By Meredith Kile

French first lady Brigitte Macron is preparing to present “photographic and scientific evidence” in court to prove that she is a woman.

French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife are currently suing right-wing podcaster Candace Owens for peddling a viral conspiracy theory about the first lady, calling it a “campaign of global humiliation.”

Owens, 36, has become one of the most vocal proponents of an online theory that Brigitte was born a man, stole the identity of a woman and has been deceiving the public ever since. Many of the theories claim that the first lady was born a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux – who is actually Brigitte’s brother.

In March 2024, Owens went so far as to state on X that she would “stake [her] entire professional reputation on the fact that Brigitte Macron is in fact a man.” However, she has also filed a motion to dismiss the Macrons’ lawsuit against her.

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The French first couple’s lawyer, Tom Clare, recently spoke with BBC about how the conspiracy theory had affected Emmanuel, 47, and Brigitte, 72, and explained how the couple plans to disprove the claims once and for all.

“It is incredibly upsetting to think that you have to go and subject yourself, to put this type of proof forward… It is a process that she will have to subject herself to in a very public way,” Clare said of the first lady. “But she’s willing to do it. She is firmly resolved to do what it takes to set the record straight.”

The attorney said there will be “expert testimony that will come out that will be scientific in nature” as to Brigitte’s biological sex, adding that the couple is prepared to prove she is a woman “both generically and specifically.”

While he did not specify the exact terms of the Macrons’ evidence, one possibility raised was the presentation of photographs of the first lady pregnant and raising her children. Clare told the BBC that such photos “existed and would be presented in court where there are rules and standards.”

In their July 2025 lawsuit against Owens, the Macrons said that the right-wing host has “disregarded all credible evidence disproving her claim in favor of platforming known conspiracy theorists and proven defamers.”

“And rather than engage with President and Mrs. Macron’s attempts to set the record straight, Owens mocked them and used them as additional fodder for her frenzied fan base,” the suit continued. “These claims are demonstrably false, and Owens knew they were false when she published them. Yet, she published them anyway. And the reason is clear: it is not the pursuit of truth, but the pursuit of fame.”

As for how the claims against his wife are weighing on the French president, Clare said, “I don’t want to suggest that it somehow has thrown him off his game. But just like anybody who is juggling a career and a family life as well, when your family is under attack, it wears on you. And he’s not immune from that because he’s the president of a country.”

The July lawsuit against Owens came just a few weeks after a French judge overturned libel convictions against Amandine Roy, a “self-proclaimed spiritual medium,” and Natacha Rey, a “self-described independent journalist” for a YouTube video in which they peddle the same theories as the conservative podcaster.

Both Roy and Rey are named in the Macrons’ new U.S. lawsuit, and Brigitte has appealed her case in France to the country’s highest court.

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In a statement to PEOPLE at the time of the Macrons’ filing, a spokesperson for Owens responded to the lawsuit, saying, “Candace Owens is not shutting up. This is a foreign government attacking the First Amendment rights of an American independent journalist.”

The statement continues, “Candace repeatedly requested an interview with Brigitte Macron. Instead of offering a comment, Brigitte is resorting to trying to bully a reporter into submission. In France, politicians can bully journalists, but this is not France. It’s America.”