A Paris court has found 10 people guilty of cyber-bullying Brigitte Macron, the wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, over false and harmful claims made about her online.
The defendants were accused of spreading rumours about her gender and sexuality, as well as posting what the court described as “malicious remarks” about the 24-year age difference between her and the French president.
The court handed down suspended prison sentences of up to eight months to the offenders. Full details of the judgment are expected to be released later.
The case centres on a long-running conspiracy theory that claims Brigitte Macron is a transgender woman. The false narrative has circulated online since Emmanuel Macron was first elected president of France in 2017.
Monday’s ruling comes at a time when the Macron family is also pursuing a separate defamation case in the United States against right-wing influencer Candace Owens.
In court filings, the Macrons accused Owens of ignoring facts and choosing to promote falsehoods, alleging that she “disregarded all credible evidence disproving her claim in favour of platforming known conspiracy theorists and proven defamers”.
Owens has repeatedly pushed the claim on her podcast and social media platforms. In March 2024, she said she would stake her “entire professional reputation” on her belief that Brigitte Macron “is in fact a man”.
Brigitte Macron first met Emmanuel Macron when she was a teacher at the secondary school he attended. Their relationship later drew public attention because of their age gap.
The couple married in 2007. At the time, Emmanuel Macron was 29, while Brigitte Macron was in her mid-50s.
