French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte are preparing to present photographs in a US court to counter claims that she was born male.
This comes after news of the couple's lawsuit against conservative commentator Candace Owens for defamation after she repeatedly pushed the allegation on social media.
Owens’ lawyers have filed a motion to dismiss, arguing the case should not have been brought in Delaware.
What has the Macrons' lawyer said?
Speaking on the BBC’s Fame Under Fire podcast, the Macrons’ lawyer Tom Clare said Brigitte had found the claims “incredibly upsetting” and described them as a “distraction” for the president.
“I don't want to suggest that it somehow has thrown him off his game. But just like anybody who is juggling a career and a family life as well, when your family is under attack, it wears on you. And he's not immune from that because he's the president of a country,” he said.
Clare added that “expert testimony that will come out that will be scientific in nature” would be provided. He did not go into specifics but said the couple was ready to show “both generically and specifically” that the allegations were false.
“It is incredibly upsetting to think that you have to go and subject yourself, to put this type of proof forward,” Clare said.
“It is a process that she will have to subject herself to in a very public way. But she's willing to do it. She is firmly resolved to do what it takes to set the record straight.
If that unpleasantness and that discomfort that she has of opening herself up in that way is what it takes to set a record straight and stop this, she's 100% ready to meet that burden.”
What photographic evidence will be presented in court?
Clare confirmed that photographs of Brigitte pregnant and with her children exist and would be shown in court.
Owens, a former Daily Wire commentator with millions of followers, has long promoted the idea, saying in March 2024 that she would stake her “entire professional reputation” on it.
The conspiracy traces back to a 2021 YouTube video by French bloggers Amandine Roy and Natacha Rey. The Macrons won a defamation case against the pair in France in 2024, but the verdict was overturned on appeal in 2025 on free speech grounds. The couple is appealing.
In July, the Macrons filed their lawsuit against Owens in the US, accusing her of ignoring “all credible evidence disproving her claim in favour of platforming known conspiracy theorists and proven defamers.”
In an interview with Paris Match earlier this year, Emmanuel Macron said: “This is about defending my honour! Because this is nonsense. This is someone who knew full well that she had false information and did so with the aim of causing harm, in the service of an ideology and with established connections to far-right leaders.”
Owens has previously insisted she believes her statements are true and has argued her position is protected by free speech.