In a striking breach of privacy, Brigitte Macron, France's First Lady, has been the victim of a hacking incident where her personal tax records were manipulated. Her chief of staff, Tristan Bromet, informed BFMTV that her tax account was altered to display “Jean-Michel, known as Brigitte Macron.” This cyber intrusion not only compromises personal data but also fuels the existing gender-based conspiracy theories surrounding Mrs. Macron.
The incident came to light when the First Lady, aged 72, found unauthorized changes to her legal name within her tax account, prompting her to file a formal complaint with the authorities. Investigators have since identified two individuals connected to the hack.
This unsettling event coincides with the beginning of a criminal trial in Paris, where ten individuals face charges of sexist cyber-harassment against Mrs. Macron. The defendants, a group consisting of eight men and two women between the ages of 41 and 60, could receive up to two years in prison if convicted of making numerous derogatory comments about the First Lady's gender and sexuality on various online platforms.
For years, claims regarding Mrs. Macron's gender have circulated widely on the internet, with unfounded assertions that her real name is Jean-Michel Trogneux. This name, however, belongs to Mrs. Macron's older brother, pointing to the erroneous nature of these claims. The conspiracy theory gained considerable attention after French bloggers Amandine Roy and Natacha Rey broadcasted it in a YouTube video in 2021, resulting in international dissemination of the false allegations.
In response to these persistent and unsubstantiated claims, French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife have taken legal action against those they believe are spreading defamatory information. One high-profile case involves American influencer Candace Owens, who has propagated the allegations to her extensive social media audience.
In March 2024, Owens staked her entire professional reputation on the theory that Mrs. Macron was born Jean-Michel Trogneux and transitioned at age 30. The Macrons filed a defamation lawsuit against Owens in Delaware, seeking both compensatory and punitive damages, with the details of the amount unspecified in the 218-page lawsuit filed on July 23.
The French couple has accused Owens of conducting a "campaign of global humiliation" and "relentless bullying," aiming to cause them distress while boosting her own notoriety. Despite the Macrons offering Owens multiple opportunities to retract her statements, she has persisted in her claims, leading the couple to seek judicial intervention as their last resort for redress.
In a peculiar twist, Owens has claimed that Brigitte Macron was originally female but died and on her deathbed transferred her identity to her brother, Jean-Michel Trogneux. Owens has asserted this narrative based on what she terms a "thorough investigation" by blogger Natacha Rey, even after the Macrons' legal counsel demanded a retraction.
The Macrons' legal pursuits have seen both success and setbacks, with a previous defamation win against bloggers Roy and Rey being overturned on appeal on the grounds of freedom of expression. The Macrons are currently appealing this decision, hopeful that their lawsuit against Owens will put an end to the defamation and restore their reputations.
