French First Lady Brigitte Macron and her husband, French President Emmanuel Macron, are suing Candace Owens. They chose to prosecute their lawsuit in Delaware Superior Court, going after the influential arch-conservative podcaster. Owens’ false claims triggered the suit. As she claimed in her eight-part podcast “Devenir Brigitte” (Becoming Brigitte), and on the social media platform X, Brigitte Macron “is actually a man.” So the Macrons have opted to sue. In their lawsuit they allege that Owens’ statements are unprovoked falsehoods, knowingly defamatory, and intend to harass them, all while causing severe emotional distress.
The Macrons argue that the slanderous comments have caused both of them serious harm to their reputations and health. They counter that Owens’ campaign was misleading sure, but intentionally provocative and attention-grabbing to earn this kind of negative fame.
In their complaint, the Macrons have billed the precise nature of Owens’ statements as deeply harmful. Yet collectively, these lies have wreaked incalculable harm on the Macrons,” the legal document reads. The couple insists that the repeated nature of Owens’ claims left them with no choice but to pursue legal action. Ms. Owens never failed to confirm these fabrications of the truth and ignored our lawyers’ numerous calls for a withdraw. Our only remaining option for remedy was to ultimately refer the matter to a court of law.
Owens’ spokesperson has publicly declared that Owens will not retract her statements and will continue to assert her First Amendment rights. Just when you thought Candace Owens would go away. This is a coordinated and unprecedented foreign government attack on the First Amendment rights of an American independent journalist,” the spokesperson added. They pointed out that Owens had consistently asked for an interview with Brigitte Macron in order to rebut these allegations face-to-face.
The spokesperson went on to lambaste Brigitte Macron’s choice to go to court rather than negotiate. “Rather than provide a legitimate statement, Brigitte is attempting to punk a journalist into silence,” they charged. According to the spokesperson, this is one of the most important differences between media relations in France and the United States. When challenged, they courageously wrote, “In France, politicians may intimidate journalists, but we’re not in France. It’s America.” They ended by assuring her that, on her new platform with a national audience, she would continue to raise these issues, persistently and passionately pushing her message.
Tom Clare, the attorney representing the Macrons, is known for securing a significant settlement of $787.5 million for Dominion Voting Systems against Fox Corp earlier this year. He has described this case as a textbook example of defamation per se. “If ever there was a textbook example of defamation that meets the standard for federal court, this is it,” Clare said.
The ongoing legal battle reflects broader tensions between media personalities and public figures concerning the limits of free speech and responsible reporting. Both the state and Environmental Defense Fund/OMB are preparing for what promises to be a contentious court showdown. The effects of this lawsuit may be felt well beyond the plaintiffs’ home state.