What was the court's decision in the Brigitte Macron defamation case?
The Paris Court of Appeal dismissed the defamation charges against Natacha Rey and Amandine Roy.
Actualités / Justice
The Paris Court of Appeal has dismissed Brigitte Macron's defamation lawsuit against Natacha Rey and Amandine Roy, who spread rumors that the First Lady is transgender. This marks a significant setback for Macron in her efforts to combat th...
In July 2025, the Paris Court of Appeal ruled in favor of Natacha Rey and Amandine Roy, dismissing the defamation charges brought by Brigitte Macron. The two women were initially sued for disseminating a video in January 2022, in which Rey claimed that Brigitte Macron was originally her brother, Jean-Michel Trogneux, and had undergone gender reassignment surgery.
The rumor, which began gaining traction around 2018, escalated with a four-and-a-half-hour video released on YouTube by Rey and Amandine Roy. This video went viral, leading Brigitte Macron to file a lawsuit. Despite an initial conviction in 2024, the Court of Appeal reversed the decision, stating that the contested passages did not constitute defamation or were made in good faith.
The spread of this conspiracy theory has been amplified by various sources, including a book titled 'Becoming Brigitte' by Xavier Poussard and a series of videos by American influencer Candace Owens. These claims have reached a global audience, fueled by social media and online conspiracy communities.
Brigitte Macron's lawyer, Jean Ennochi, has indicated that she will appeal the decision to the highest court. She has also launched a second legal action for “cyber harassment” against several individuals involved in spreading the rumors, including Aurélien Poirson Atlan, who managed the Twitter account “Zoe Sagan.”
The origins of the rumor can be traced back to Natacha Rey, a self-proclaimed independent journalist, who began posting defamatory messages about Brigitte Macron in 2018. Rey's theory alleges that Jean-Michel Trogneux changed gender and assumed Brigitte's identity. She claims that Brigitte is actually the father of her children, while their mother is Catherine Auzière, married to Jean-Louis Auzière, an uncle of André-Louis.
This complex and unsubstantiated narrative has persisted due to a combination of factors, including the age difference between Brigitte and Emmanuel Macron and the lack of transparency surrounding Brigitte's past. These gaps have been exploited by conspiracy theorists seeking to undermine the French First Lady.
The Paris Court of Appeal dismissed the defamation charges against Natacha Rey and Amandine Roy.
The claim stems from rumors spread by Rey and Roy that Brigitte Macron was born Jean-Michel Trogneux and underwent a sex change.
Natacha Rey is a self-proclaimed independent journalist who originated the conspiracy theory about Brigitte Macron.
Candace Owens amplified the rumors through a documentary series titled "Becoming Brigitte."
Brigitte Macron initially filed a defamation lawsuit, which she lost on appeal, and has also initiated a second procedure for “cyber harassment.”
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