Over four years, an absurd rumor claiming Brigitte Macron is a man has grown, spread by conspiracy theorists in France and American influencer Candace Owens. The presidential couple is fighting back legally in France with a cyberbullying trial in late October and in the US with a lawsuit. This international case highlights the challenges of fake news on social media.
The rumor, described as absurd, claims that President Emmanuel Macron's wife is actually a man, specifically her brother Jean-Michel Trogneux, who is 80 years old. Popularized in December 2021 by a self-proclaimed 'amateur journalist' and a medium, it was spread in France by conspiracy theorists close to far-right networks. Despite four years of denials, outraged statements, and silences from the Élysée, the rumor has not subsided and has even gained international resonance.
American Trumpist influencer Candace Owens has picked up and amplified this fake news, carrying it across the Atlantic. In response to this escalation, Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron have chosen to fight back through the courts. In France, a cyberbullying trial is scheduled for late October. In the United States, they have filed a complaint.
To conduct the investigation, the Macrons enlisted Daniel Nardello, a 68-year-old American private detective and former New York federal prosecutor. Based in Paris for this case, Nardello met in a discreet lounge at the Lutetia hotel in September. His firm, Nardello & Co, employs 110 staff – former FBI agents, ex-judges, and lawyers – serving clients from Washington to Dubai. This high-profile collaboration underscores the 'endless nightmare' this persistent rumor represents for the presidential couple.