Ten individuals are set to appear before a Paris criminal court accused of harassing France’s First Lady, Brigitte Macron, by spreading false claims that she was born male under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux. The group, consisting of eight men and two women aged between 41 and 60, face charges of online harassment, which carry a maximum sentence of two years in prison. The case follows a formal complaint lodged by Mrs Macron in 2024, alleging that the accused made malicious remarks concerning her gender and sexuality.
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The French proceedings run parallel to a separate defamation lawsuit filed in the United States in July by Mrs Macron and her husband, President Emmanuel Macron, against far-right American commentator Candace Owens. Mrs Owens has repeatedly promoted the false claim that the French First Lady was born male. Tom Clare, the couple’s lawyer, stated that the Macrons intend to demonstrate “generally and specifically” that Mrs Owens’ allegations are untrue, supported by scientific evidence confirming Mrs Macron’s gender.
According to prosecutors, several of the defendants on trial had shared or amplified posts originating from Mrs Owens, some of which contained statements equating the couple’s age gap with “paedophilia”. Among those charged is Aurelien Poirson-Atlan, 41, a publicist who operates online under the alias “Zoe Sagan” and has been linked to conspiracy circles. Another defendant, 51-year-old Delphine J — known online as “Amandine Roy” — previously posted a lengthy interview in 2021 repeating the same falsehoods, and was already subject to a defamation ruling in 2024.
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Mrs Macron, who is 24 years older than the president, first met him while teaching at his Jesuit secondary school in Amiens, where she directed him in a school play. The US lawsuit clarifies that their relationship during that time remained “within the bounds of the law”. Mrs Macron later divorced her first husband, with whom she has three children, and married Emmanuel Macron in 2007 when he was 30 years old.
