The Legal Battle Over Brigitte Macron’s Identity
In July, French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, took legal action against US alt-right podcaster Candace Owens. Their lawyers accused her of leading an online campaign that falsely claimed Brigitte Macron was a man. This accusation was based on the idea that Owens would risk her career on this claim. According to the legal team, Owens relied on "discredited falsehoods" and created new ones to gain attention and financial benefit from her podcast and video series, Becoming Brigitte.
The false narrative about Brigitte Macron first gained traction in 2021. During a YouTube interview with spiritual medium Amandine Roy, self-proclaimed journalist Natacha Rey claimed that Brigitte Macron had been assigned male at birth and was named Jean Michel Trogneux — the name of Brigitte's brother. This story quickly spread across social media platforms, contributing to a broader trend known as “tranvestigations.”
The Rise of 'Tranvestigations'
Tranvestigations refer to online campaigns where individuals attempt to uncover hidden transgender identities among cisgender celebrities. According to Lexi Webster, associate professor of digital culture at the University of Southampton, these campaigns have become prevalent on image-based platforms such as X, Instagram, and TikTok. Users often post images analyzing physical features like shoulder size, skull shape, and gait, while also including conspiracy theories.
The false claims about Brigitte Macron have gained traction due to public perceptions that politicians are inherently deceptive. Other factors include the conspiratorial nature of these claims, which often suggest a "trans cabal" seeking to influence industries. These narratives are amplified by right-wing or alt-right users, but also by bots that generate and reshape discussions to maximize engagement.
Even those who share these claims for humor contribute to their persistence. Online satirical communities often reshare content to mock the absurdity, inadvertently keeping the stories alive.
The Fake News Report About Brigitte Macron
Despite the lack of evidence supporting the false claims about Brigitte Macron, the rumors have grown more elaborate over time. In early July, a video styled as a TV news report surfaced on social media, garnering hundreds of thousands of views. The video depicted a crime scene and claimed that a surgeon named François Faivre had fallen out of a window in Paris after planning to reveal details about Brigitte Macron’s alleged gender reassignment surgery.
However, the video is entirely fabricated. EuroVerify traced the opening shots to AFP footage from October 2022, showing a different crime scene in Paris. Additionally, the American Hospital in Paris confirmed they had no records of a surgeon named François Faivre. The fake surgeon’s face appeared to be a real person, but his lack of blinking suggested the speech was AI-generated.
Conspiracy theorists use elements of plausibility to fuel doubt, such as the claim that Brigitte Macron underwent gender reassignment surgery at the American Hospital in Paris. This aligns with previous rumors, including a 2019 lawsuit against Closer magazine for alleging that Brigitte Macron had undergone plastic surgery at the same hospital.
The Persistence of False Narratives
Webster explained that conspiracy theorists often take advantage of the fact that politicians rarely address plastic surgery rumors. In the political sphere, there is a desire to avoid appearing vain or shallow about appearance. Even if Brigitte Macron shared her birth certificate, online users could still claim it was forged or altered.
Webster noted that even if the Macrons win their defamation case against Candace Owens, it may not significantly impact the ongoing claims online. The cycle of misinformation continues, fueled by both human actors and automated systems designed to maximize engagement.