Emmanuel Macron breaks silence on lawsuit against Candace Owens over Brigitte smear

French President Emmanuel Macron has spoken publicly for the first time about his decision to sue American commentator Candace Owens, saying the lawsuit was necessary to counter “nonsense” allegations targeting his wife, Brigitte Macron.

Last month, Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron filed a defamation suit against Owens in Delaware state court after she repeatedly claimed that Brigitte was born a man. The case includes 22 charges ranging from defamation to malicious claims, with the French first couple also seeking damages.

In an interview with Paris Match, Macron revealed that he and his wife initially considered ignoring the remarks to avoid amplifying them but ultimately decided to take legal action when the allegations began gaining significant traction in the United States. “This has become so widespread in the United States that we had to react,” Macron said, as quoted by the Independent UK. “It’s a question of having the truth respected.”

According to the lawsuit, Owens first made the baseless allegation in March 2024 and expanded on it through her eight-part podcast series titled Becoming Brigitte. The filing claims that the Macrons have endured “tremendous damage” from her statements, which turned into a global smear campaign.

The French President dismissed the notion that Owens’ comments were protected by free speech. “It is not freedom of speech to want to prevent the restoration of the truth,” Macron said. He criticized the hypocrisy of those defending Owens under the banner of free expression, adding, “Those who talk to you about this so-called freedom of speech are the ones who ban journalists from the Oval Office. I do not accept this.”

The lawsuit further argues that Owens’ rhetoric exposed the Macrons to “relentless bullying on a worldwide scale,” describing the experience as “invasive, dehumanizing, and deeply unjust.” The couple’s lawyers claim that the commentator has built her public profile on spreading misinformation, citing her history of conspiracy theories around Covid-19 vaccines, which she once described as “pure evil.”

By pursuing the case, Macron signaled that he would not allow his family to be targeted by falsehoods amplified for profit. “The truth must be respected,” he emphasized, underscoring that the lawsuit was not just about defending Brigitte Macron but also about pushing back against a culture of disinformation.