«Not a week goes by that he is not harassed» the daughter, Tiphen Ozier, testified in court.
The false claims circulating on the internet, that the First Lady of France was born male, have «seriously affecting my mother’s quality of life». Brigitte Macron, after months of tolerance, .
Eight men and two women, accused of sexist online bullying against Brigitte Macron, have been on trial since Monday (27/10), before the Paris Criminal Court.
The cyberbullying investigation was handed over to the French police Directorate for the Suppression of Crimes against Humanity following a complaint filed by Brigitte Macron on August 27, 2024, which led to successive waves of arrests, most notably in December 2024 and February 2025.
Jail sentences and fines for sexist bullying of Brigitte Macron
The convicts, who include an advertiser, an elected official, a gallerist, a teacher, a psychic, a computer scientist and others, range in age from 41 to 60.
The heaviest penalties were imposed against the advertiser, known on social media by the pseudonym “Zoe Sagan” who, among other things, in his posts characterized the age difference between Brigitte Macron and her husband as «pedophilia». In his apology he spoke of «satirically» publications, considering it protected by freedom of expression.
«France has satire in its DNA. Brigitte Macron could post pregnancy photos to end the debate», thought fit to add to his testimony.
During the hearing, 65-year-old Jean-Luc M., a retired businessman and deputy mayor of a village in the Saône-et-Loire, was questioned about posts in which he called Brigitte Macron «our first ladyboy». He denied the accusations of harassment, saying that «never intended to cause harm».
Bertrand S., an art gallery owner, also denied the harassment charge, saying he shared related posts because he considered the issue «global issue with implications for France». As he said, he believed that if enough people talked about it, «the Macrons would be forced to give answers».
A viral news in the US
The specific trial followed the defamation suit filed by the French presidential couple in the United States of America at the end of July regarding «fake news» that went viral in the US, and then in France and the rest of the world, about her «transsexuality» by Brigitte Macron.
Also present in court was the 41-year-old daughter of Brigitte Macron, Tiffen Ozier, who during her testimony complained «the hate» who turns against her mother with the «systematic questioning» her «her identity, her gender» and her «its integrity», adding that he originally had «underestimate the extent of the phenomenon», but she gradually found that the whole affair was causing anxiety both to her mother and to the grandchildren of the first Lady of France, who often asked «about the gender of their grandmother».
She described how her mother constantly has to be careful about what she wears or how she behaves, fearing that her image might «deformed» and be used as a weapon on the internet.
Brigitte Macron’s change of stance was welcomed by the majority of French citizens, with many of them speaking of a decisive «blow» to society’s sexism towards women, especially older women.
In an age where information travels rapidly and uncontrollably, fake news has evolved into a powerful tool for controlling public opinion. Brigitte Macron turned into a lever of political pressure in the hands – mainly of a far-right section.
The scandal has dogged and followed Macron for years, with rumors in French gossip magazines and comments on social media.
The role of the extreme right Candace Owens
The supposed theme went beyond French walls, making its way to the U.S. fronted by influencer and podcaster Candace Owens in a nine-episode series titled Becoming Brigitte.
Owens, the voice of the most extreme followers of the MAGA movement, has been spreading the word for the last few years that Brigitte Macron was born a man named Jean-Michel Tronier – who is actually Brigitte’s brother.
Owens created a video for her YouTube channel with the brilliant title «Is the first lady of France a man?», in which he first reproduced the libelous comment. Owens promoted it on X, writing: «Stop everything and watch it! It is not a joke or an exaggeration to say that, apart from political assassinations, this is probably the biggest political scandal in history», according to the Telegraph
«This is not France, where the Macron couple can do whatever they want, this is America», has stated the influencer who insists that the First Lady of France was born a man
«We will demand that Brigitte be examined by an independent doctor and ask for her medical records.» Owens said, adding that trying the case in the US has its own rules.
«You don’t get to bypass pre-trial evidence-gathering procedures just because you’re a foreign leader outraged by a podcaster’s First Amendment rights.», Owens said in her statement.
Brigitte Macron will testify «photographically» and «scientifically» data
As he explained, the procedure prescribed by the court does not allow Brigitte to simply «file» evidence without verification. «The American judicial system does not hold mock trials where leaders can say whatever they want. Data must be independently verified. Brigitte should be examined by an independent doctor».
Macron’s lawyer, Tom Clare, said immediately afterwards that Mrs Macron found the mockery «incredibly annoying» and that the charges constituted «distraction» and for the president.
«As with anyone trying to juggle career and family life, when your family is under attack, it wears you down. And he is not unaffected by it», Clare said on the BBC’s Fame Under Fire podcast.
It seems incredible, but the Macrons «photographically» and «scientifically» evidence to disprove Owens’ claims and with hard evidence to prove that Brigitte is a woman.
Owens «is playing», probably out of safety, knowing that defamation is extremely difficult to prove in the US. It is not enough to prove that the charge is false.
It must be shown that the allegation was intentionally malicious and the defamer knew the allegation was false and continued to make it anyway. Candace Owens claims that «he believes» that Brigitte Macron is a man – of course without any proof in her hands – and that, because of her «of faith», US free speech laws give her the right to say it publicly.
Owens was even selling «humorously» t-shirts that depicted Brigitte Macron on the cover of TIME magazine as «Man of the Year».
The first rumors in France after the first Macron election
After Emmanuel Macron was first elected in 2017, conspiracy theories about Brigitte Macron began in France. In 2021, an article was published in a far-right French magazine – signed by the self-proclaimed independent journalist Natacha Rey and Xavier Poussard – about Brigitte Macron’s gender.
Rey even gave a related interview on YouTube about her speculations «spiritual medium» Delphine Jégousse – aka Amandine Roy – in a four-hour video that went viral ahead of France’s 2022 presidential election.
He claimed to have evidence of Brigitte Macron’s transgenderism, citing an old photo of the Tronier family.
The journalist’s trigger to investigate Brigitte Macron’s past was «physique» of her, claiming that experts, including plastic surgeons, «everyone agrees with me that (Brigitte Macron) is transgender».
In 2024, Brigitte Macron filed a defamation lawsuit against two women, who were initially awarded fines and damages, but were later acquitted by the Court of Appeal, forcing the French First Lady to appeal to the highest court.
