French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte are preparing to submit photographic and scientific evidence to a US court to confirm that Mrs Macron is biologically female.
Today, Tom Clare, the lawyer of the Macrons, told the BBC’s Fame Under Fire podcast that allegations about Brigitte Macron’s biological sex were “incredibly upsetting” and they were a “distraction” to the French President.
“I don’t want to suggest that it somehow has thrown him off his game. But just like anybody who is juggling a career and a family life as well, when your family is under attack, it wears on you. And he’s not immune from that because he’s the president of a country,” he said.
Clare stated that there would be “expert testimony of a scientific nature”, although he declined to disclose its precise details at this stage. He confirmed, however, that the couple were fully prepared to demonstrate “both generically and specifically” that the allegations are unfounded.
“It is incredibly upsetting to think that you have to go and subject yourself, to put this type of proof forward,” the lawyer said.
“It is a process that she will have to subject herself to in a very public way. But she’s willing to do it. She is firmly resolved to do what it takes to set the record straight.
“If that unpleasantness and that discomfort that she has of opening herself up in that way is what it takes to set a record straight and stop this, she’s 100 per cent ready to meet that burden,” Clare said.
Since 2017, Brigitte Macron has been targeted by rumours about her sex.
Originally, they were just within France but they gained international traction after US podcaster Candace Owens, who has a worldwide fanbase, started referring to them.
Owens even made a documentary on the matter, Becoming Brigitte, where she claimed that Brigitte was born male under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux (her actual older brother’s name) and later transitioned to live as a woman, allegedly stealing her sibling’s identity in the process.
Owens has promoted this narrative extensively since March 2024, staking her “entire professional reputation” on it and framing it as “the biggest scandal in political history”.
Michel Trogneux has not stepped up in public to debunk the claims, reportedly because he is a “very private person” who actively avoids media exposure.
In August, French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to fight “to the end” to defend both his honour and that of his wife against what he said were false claims that she was born a man.
Owens’ legal team has primarily focused on procedural defences so far. On her podcast, she has framed the lawsuit as an attempt to “bully” or silence her.
A prominent LGBT activist has accused France’s First Lady, Brigitte Macron, of prejudice against transgender people by her pursuing legal action against those claiming she was born male. https://t.co/LRciYhi9G4
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) August 4, 2025
