American podcaster Candace Owens fired back at French First Lady Brigitte Macron after Macron filed a defamation lawsuit against her. In the July 24, 2025, video on her eponymous podcast, Owens referred to the statement given by Macron’s lawyer to the Financial Times, where he claimed that the podcaster had been relentlessly "bullying" the Macrons on "a worldwide scale".Pointing specifically to the use of the word “bullying”, she remarked:"Okay, so my first question is ‘how old are you? Are you 5 years old?’ This is—this is bullying, is what you’re coming at me with."In the aforementioned episode, the podcaster further questioned why she alone was being targeted by the lawsuit when French journalist Xavier Poussard, author of the book Becoming Brigitte—which formed the basis of her claims—was not being sued."He’s the one that wrote the book that I based my entire report on. They’re not suing him for defamation," Candace Owens added.She also claimed that the Macrons chose to sue her in the U.S. instead of going after Xavier Poussard in France because they knew they wouldn’t win there. In her view, the lawsuit was mainly a way to grab headlines and appear as though they were finally taking legal action.Candace Owens also referred to a viral video that showed Brigitte Macron allegedly slapping President Emmanuel Macron while the pair were disembarking from a presidential plane. Referring to Brigitte Macron’s behavior in that clip, Owens accused her of having the “audacity” to label others as bullies while engaging in alleged physical aggression “on the world stage.”"You pummeled him. You beat him. You’re the bully. You whooped your husband in front of the entire world on a plane," Candace Owens said.The podcaster further claimed that the French First Lady had been "grooming” Emmanuel Macron from a young age and bullying him since he was “14 years old”. According to Owens, that was the “worst kind of bullying” from her viewpointFrench president Emmanuel Macron and wife Brigitte Macron sue Candace Owens for defamationFrench president Emmanuel Macron and wife Brigitte Macron (Image via Getty Images)French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron filed a 22-count defamation lawsuit in the United States against right-wing commentator and podcaster Candace Owens.As per the CNN report dated July 23, 2025, the lawsuit, filed in Delaware Superior Court, accused Owens of orchestrating a year-long smear campaign built on conspiracy theories.For context, in early 2024, Candace Owens reignited an old internet conspiracy. She publicly claimed she was certain Brigitte Macron had been born male. On March 12, 2024, she took to X and declared:"I would stake my entire professional reputation on the fact that Brigitte Macron is in fact a man. Any journalist or publication that is trying to dismiss this plausibility is immediately identifiable as establishment. I have never seen anything like this in my life. The implications here are terrifying."Candace Owens later doubled down on her stance, launching an eight-part podcast series in February 2025 titled Becoming Brigitte: An Investigative Series. The first episode aired on February 21, 2025, where Owens claimed that Brigitte Macron was born as a man named "Jean-Michel Trogneux".In response to Owens’ actions, the Macrons filed the lawsuit on Wednesday (July 23), alleging she pursued a relentless "campaign of defamation.” According to their complaint, Owens pushed the conspiracy theory against France’s First Lady to “promote her independent platform, gain notoriety, and make money.”Additionally, as per People Magazine’s July 23 report, the gender-based rumor was just one of several baseless narratives attributed to Owens. The complaint further alleged that she promoted outrageous claims such as:"Mrs. Macron and President Macron are blood relatives committing incest; President Macron was chosen to be the President of France as part of the CIA-operated MKUltra program or a similar mind-control program; and Mrs. Macron and President Macron are committing forgery, fraud, and abuses of power to conceal these secrets."The lawsuit also argued that Owens’ actions had caused “tremendous damage” to the Macrons’ reputations and personal lives."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," the lawsuit stated.According to the CNN report, a statement from the Macrons’ attorney, Tom Clare, revealed that the couple had privately urged Owens to retract her claims for nearly a year before resorting to legal action. He emphasized the emotional toll such accusations take:"What people forget is these are human beings; these are a married couple. They have a social life, they have a private life together, they have the same feelings and the same hurt from these sorts of defamatory statements as anybody would. And it does have a material impact on them."He further added that the Macrons were seeking punitive damages against Owens and her associated business entities. While Clare did not disclose the specific amount sought, he warned that if Owens continues with her claims, "it’ll be a substantial award."Candace Owens is currently focused on her eponymous podcast on YouTube. She also addressed the defamation lawsuit in a video posted to her channel on July 24, 2025, publicly acknowledging the legal action against her.As per the aforementioned CNN report, Emmanuel Macron had briefly addressed the rumors about his wife during a Paris event in March 2024. He called the spread of “false information and fabricated stories” one of the most challenging aspects of being president. However, following the news of the defamation lawsuit, neither he nor Brigitte Macron issued any public statement.