The first trial begins in Paris on the allegations that the first lady of France Brigitte Macron and his wife Emmanuel Macron has been born male – in a case that has shocked France. A total of 10 people are accused of online harassment.
Ten people are on the bench for online bullying of France’s first lady Brigitte Macron as the legal battle over false claims that the wife of French President Emmanuel Macron was born a man named Jean-Michel Tronier enters the final stretch.
The trial in Paris comes against the backdrop of a defamation lawsuit filed in the US by French President Emmanuel Macron himself and his wife in late July against rumors circulating online that Brigitte Macron was not born a man.
The case, which has gone viral, involves, among others, an elected official, a gallerist, a teacher, a psychic, and even a computer scientist.
Eight men and two women are scheduled to appear in court at 13:30 local time (14:30 Greek time). The trial is scheduled to continue Tuesday afternoon.
The accused, of age 41 to 60 years oldare suspected of making several malicious comments about Brigitte Macron’s “gender” and “sexuality,” commenting on her age difference with her husband with references such as “pederara,” according to the Paris prosecutor’s office.
The investigation was launched following a complaint filed by Brigitte Macron on August 27, 2024, which led to waves of arrests, mainly in December 2024 and February 2025.
In communication with the French News Agency (AFP), Brigitte Macron’s lawyer, Jean Enochy, refused to comment on whether she herself will be present at the hearing.
Among the accused are 41 years old who was convicted of defamation in the first degree in September 2024, along with another woman.
He was ordered to pay several thousand euros in damages to Brigitte Macron and 5,000 euros to her brother, Jean-Michel Tronier. However, he was acquitted on appeal on 10 July. Brigitte Macron and her brother have also appealed the decision.
Also, she is on trial 51-year-old “psychic”, “journalist” and “informant” Delphine Z.known under the pseudonym Amadin Rouy. She was instrumental in spreading the rumor that Brigitte Macron, née Tronier, never existed and that her brother Jean-Michel adopted that identity after the transition.
Since the election of Emmanuel Macron in 2017, claims that Brigitte Macron is a man have been circulating from far-right circles and conspiracy theorists in France and the US. The presidential couple filed a US defamation lawsuit in July against Kanda Owens, who created a series titled «Becoming Brigitte»claiming (she too) that the first lady of France was born a man.
The Macrons are said to be planning to testify photos and “scientific” evidence proving that the first lady was not born male, according to their US attorney. Influencer Owens, who has repeatedly publicly claimed that Brigitte Macron was born a man, has said she will demand the First Lady of France to be examined by a doctor to prove her gender.