Macron sues influencer Candace Owens for claiming French first lady is a man

French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, filed a 22-count defamation lawsuit Wednesday against an American influencer who claimed that France’s first lady was born male.

According to the documents, Candace Owens, who has millions of followers on X and YouTube, is accused of using her podcast to spread "verifiably false and devastating lies."

She is accused of claiming that Brigitte Macron was born male, that the Macrons are blood relatives, and that Emmanuel Macron was elected president of France as part of a CIA mind-control program.

What does the 218-page lawsuit say?

The 218-page indictment, filed in Delaware Superior Court, seeks a jury trial and unspecified damages.

In a statement through their attorney, the Macrons said they filed the lawsuit after Owens ignored requests to retract the false and defamatory statements.

"We gave her every opportunity to retract these allegations, but she refused. We sincerely hope this lawsuit sets the record straight and puts an end to this defamation campaign once and for all," it reads.

The lawsuit also alleges that Owens was the first to bring the baseless claims to U.S. media and an international audience. The Macrons are seeking punitive damages, claiming they suffered "substantial economic harm," including the loss of future business opportunities.

France's Elysee Palace called the lawsuit a "private matter" and declined gto comment further. 

Owen's response.

Hours after learning of the lawsuit, Owens posted on Instagram a screenshot of an article about the case alongside a photo of the Macrons, captioned, "I will be coming for this wig today. Stay tuned."