French President Emmanuel Macron is suing a U.S. influencer for claiming that his wife is secretly a man. The strange rumor that Brigitte Macron was born male started in France but exploded online, leading to real lawsuits and planned court evidence.
In 2017, a little-known blogger named Natacha Rey claimed that the 72-year-old French first lady was really her brother, Jean-Michel Trogneux. The theory was based on zero proof, but it didn’t die out. Instead, it quietly spread through French conspiracy circles for years, waiting for someone to give it oxygen.
In 2021, the idea caught fire. A French spiritual medium named Amandine Roy interviewed Rey in a two-hour video. The claims were strange, vague, and full of holes. But the internet loved it. The video racked up views, and suddenly the story jumped from the fringes to the mainstream.
Macron / IG / Last year, the Macrons took action. Rey and Roy were found guilty of defamation in a Paris court. Fines were issued, and it looked like the case was closed.
But that verdict didn’t last. Just a year later, the same court reversed itself in a twist nobody saw coming.
In July 2025, the Paris Court of Appeal ruled the women weren’t guilty after all. Not because their claims were true, but because the court said their comments were made in “good faith.” The ruling didn’t say Brigitte was born male, just that the speech was protected.
Macron Takes the Fight to America
After the French ruling, Emmanuel Macron shifted gears. In July 2025, he and Brigitte filed a defamation suit in the U.S. against conservative influencer Candace Owens. This time, they weren’t just looking for an apology. They were ready to show actual evidence.
In September 2025, the Macrons’ legal team announced they would submit photos and scientific proof that Brigitte gave birth to her children. They plan to include pregnancy photos and medical records in the Delaware court case.
However, Owens hasn’t stayed quiet. She filed a motion to dismiss, calling the case an attack on free speech. Her team argues that even if the claims are false, she was sharing opinions, not facts.
Even with lawsuits flying, the rumors haven’t faded. On platforms like X, Telegram, and fringe blogs, “transvestigation” content still gets clicks. Many users admit it is fake but say they enjoy the drama. For others, it taps into deep distrust of elites and public figures.
Macron / IG / The idea that public women are secretly men isn’t new. Brigitte Macron is just the latest target. Others have included Michelle Obama and New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern.
At their core, these rumors are cruel. They often reflect deep transphobia, using real struggles faced by trans people as a punchline. Instead of helping anyone, these stories use gender identity as a weapon against women in power.
At the beginning, most major French outlets ignored the story. That silence gave the conspiracy room to grow. By the time mainstream reporters tried to cover it seriously, the rumor had already gone global. Some argue it should’ve been fact-checked earlier and more forcefully.
This hasn’t just affected Brigitte and Emmanuel Macron. Her brother, Jean-Michel Trogneux, has also joined the legal fight. He co-filed the French appeal and is part of the effort to restore their family’s name.