You don't come much more powerful than a President or Prime Minister, and while you might think of the likes of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin as the big hitters, France's Emmanuel Macron is here to prove he's not a man to be messed with.
Having ruled as the President of France since 2017, Macron has done it with his wife, Brigitte, by his side. Now, France's First Couple is suing a major US influencer over her wild claims about Brigitte Macron.
The Macrons have filed a 219-page defamation complaint, calling out a supposed "relentless and unjustified smear campaign" from the far-right influencer. The filing refers to Owens' 'demonstrably false' claims that Brigitte Macron was born male, with multiple claims across various platforms.
This includes an eight-part podcast and a social media barrage that is said to have fed a 'frenzied fan base' in her own 'pursuit of fame' through conspiracy theories.
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The complaint lists 22 counts, seeking damages from Owens and her companies.
The lawsuit maintains, "These lies have caused tremendous damage to the Macrons," naming both Owens and her business entities that are incorporated in Delaware.
It continues: "Owens has dissected their appearance, their marriage, their friends, their family, and their personal history — twisting it all into a grotesque narrative designed to inflame and degrade.
"The result is relentless bullying on a worldwide scale. Every time the Macrons leave their home, they do so knowing that countless people have heard, and many believe, these vile fabrications. It is invasive, dehumanizing, and deeply unjust."
As well as posting a YouTube video titled "Is France’s First Lady a Man?" that was expanded into a series called Becoming Brigitte, it's alleged that Owens posted on X and referred to Macron being born a 'man' as "likely the biggest scandal in political history."
The case against Owens comes after Brigitte Macron won €8,000 ($9,149) from far-right YouTubers Amandine Roy and Natacha Rey when they alleged she was transgender in December 2021. This came just weeks before the 2022 French election, alleging that she'd been born Jean-Michel Trogneux (the actual name of her brother). The hashtag #JeanMichelTrogneux soared up the Twitter trends in France and was used more than 66,000 times as it continued to be discussed for days.
As for Owens, the Macrons have highlighted many of her other far-right conspiracy theories and accused her of effectively rage-baiting to garner millions of views on her monetized YouTube channel.
Owens' lengthy list of controversial statements includes holocaust denial, claiming the Moon landing was faked, calling the Walt Disney company 'groomers' for objecting to the 'Don't Say Gay' bill, and alleging that the Uvalde school shooter was transgender. Elsewhere, Owens has been called out for claiming racism doesn't exist in the USA, as well as posing alongside Kanye West in 'White Lives Matter' t-shirts.
The Macron filing concludes by saying that Owens has “built a brand on provocation, not truth," claiming: "Her content is not intended to inform but to inflame and attract attention through sensationalism and conspiracy theories."