• French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte are escalating their legal fight with Candace Owens.
• The couple reportedly hired a private investigator to trace the origins of a transgender rumor.
• Owens dismisses the case as overreach and vows to keep speaking out.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (TDR) — Emmanuel Macron and Brigitte Macron arrived at the 2025 NATO Summit this summer amid reports they had taken an extraordinary step in their defamation battle with American commentator Candace Owens: hiring a private investigator. The move comes as the couple pursues a lawsuit over Owens’ widely circulated claim that France’s first lady is transgender — a theory they call baseless and defamatory.

The Origins of the Dispute

Owens sparked controversy with her Becoming Brigitte podcast series, which repeated a claim first floated in 2017 by a Spanish blogger and revived in 2021 by far-right journalist Xavier Poussard. Despite previous media debunking, Owens brought Poussard onto her program for a lengthy interview, calling him a “truth-teller.” The series drew millions of listeners and amplified the rumor across social media.

Private Investigator’s Findings

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The Macrons’ attorney, Tom Clare, confirmed the couple retained an investigator to determine Owens’ motivations and connections. The inquiry documented Owens’ ties to far-right figures in multiple countries, along with instances of her coverage in Russian outlets. However, investigators found no evidence of direct links to Russian officials or state-backed media — a sensitive point given Moscow’s history of targeting European leaders.

Owens Strikes Back

Owens dismissed the lawsuit as “paranoid overreach,” questioning why public funds and private resources were spent tracking her activities. “Exactly how much money was spent to determine that I twice retweeted a Russian philosopher or spoke at one Paris conference?” she asked, framing the Macrons’ response as a bid to silence critics.

Legal Context

The French first lady previously won a defamation case against two YouTubers who spread the same rumor. However, the award was overturned by France’s highest court earlier this year, leaving the legal landscape unsettled. The new lawsuit seeks both damages and a public retraction from Owens.

Will this transatlantic legal clash chill online speech — or simply harden political divides?

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