Tiphaine Auzière, daughter of French President Emmanuel Macron's wife Brigitte Macron, testified Tuesday that her mother was forced to "think carefully" about how she dressed or stood because of conspiracy theories claiming she was born male. The trial against 10 people who spread the claims began this week in Paris, while the Macrons simultaneously filed a defamation lawsuit in the US against far-right podcast host Candace Owens, who spread similar claims.
Prosecutors in Paris demanded sentences of up to one year suspended prison and fines of up to 8,000 euros ($8,976) for ten defendants charged with online sexual harassment of the first lady.
Auzière, 41, testified in court that the unfounded claims about her mother's gender caused a "deterioration" in her health. "She has to constantly pay attention to what she wears, how she stands, because she knows her image might be distorted," Auzière said. Auzière added that Brigitte's grandchildren suffer harassment at school because of this.
Auzière testified that "it's important for her to be here to present the damage caused" to her mother, adding that she "wants to tell what her life has become from the moment these attacks began." Auzière said her mother "wasn't elected and didn't ask for this, and found herself under attack."
Claims that Brigitte Macron was born male have circulated since her husband's election to the presidency in 2017, mainly by far-right circles and conspiracy theory supporters in France and the US. The first lady filed a complaint in August 2024 that led to an investigation and arrests in December 2024 and February 2025.
Ten defendants – eight men and two women, ages 41 to 60 – will be tried in a Paris criminal court, charged with sexually harassing Brigitte Macron. Two additional defendants, residents of Corsica, are charged not only with online harassment but also with exploiting a loophole in the French tax system to change Brigitte's name to a male name as part of the effort to spread the conspiracy theory.
Parallel to the Paris trial, the Macrons filed a defamation lawsuit in the US in July against Candace Owens, a far-right podcast host known for spreading wild conspiracies and anti-Israel propaganda. Owens produced a series called "Becoming Brigitte" and, in March 2024, said she was willing to bet "all her professional credibility" that Brigitte Macron was born male.
According to the Macrons' American attorney, they plan to present photographic and "scientific" evidence in court proving the first lady is a woman.
