PoliticsBrigitte Macron to Appeal Court Ruling After Losing Defamation Case Over Viral Gender Rumors
Brigitte Macron vowed to appeal after a French court cleared two women behind defamatory online claims.
July 19 2025, Published 12:24 p.m. ET
Brigitte Macron, France's First Lady, is known for her elegance and composure during public events. But lately, she's found herself at the center of online controversy — and she's fighting back.
This week, Brigitte announced plans to appeal a French court decision that cleared two women who spread false and damaging rumors about her online. The claims, which first gained traction in 2021, alleged that she was "born a man" and had "sexually abused" her husband, President Emmanuel Macron, when he was a teenager.
The Paris Appeal Court recently dismissed all 18 defamation charges against the women — Amandine Roy, a 53-year-old clairvoyant and Natacha Rey, a 49-year-old blogger.
The court ruled the women’s claims were ‘opinions’ or made in ‘good faith.’
The court said their statements, made during a YouTube video, were either opinions based on existing rumors or made in "good faith," and therefore didn't meet the legal standard for defamation.
Sources close to Brigitte say she was "devastated" by the ruling, which many saw as a win for conspiracy theorists and online trolls. Her legal team is now preparing to take the case to France's highest court, the Court of Cassation, in hopes of overturning the verdict. "The situation is now intolerable," one legal source said. "Her attackers believe they can say whatever they want without consequence."
Brigitte Macron was ‘devastated’ after a court dismissed all 18 defamation charges.
Supporters of the defendants, including American commentator Candace Owens, cheered the outcome. Owens declared, "We won!" and accused Brigitte of going after a "technicality" rather than challenging the core rumor. However, court officials clarified that the ruling does not prove any of the claims to be true — it simply found they didn't meet France's strict definition of libel.
Brigitte has long faced public curiosity over her marriage to Emmanuel, who was 15 when they met — she was his teacher and 25 years older. The two began a relationship later, and married in 2007. Brigitte has spoken openly about the challenges of their age difference, especially in their conservative hometown of Amiens.
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Brigitte and Emmanuel Macron's 25-year age gap caused scrutiny.
While Emmanuel rose quickly in politics and was elected president in 2017, the couple has dealt with constant scrutiny. The legal battle has only intensified that spotlight — and it comes at a difficult personal time.
Brigitte recently lost her older sister, with whom she was very close.
Brigitte Macron’s legal team will take the case to France’s Court of Cassation. Ask ChatGPT
It did not also help that she faced backlash last week after she allegedly ignored Emmanuel while getting on a plane in London. While Emmanuel held out his hand to help Brigitte walk down the steps, she completely dismissed him and left him hanging, opting to use the railing instead.
Despite the setbacks, Brigitte appears determined to keep fighting the smear campaign that has followed her for years.
