Was Brigitte Macron born 'Jean-Michel Trogneux'? French First Lady brings gender rumour case to court

France's first lady Brigitte Macron - File Photo

France’s First Lady Brigitte Macron is appealing to the country’s highest court after a lower appeals court overturned the convictions of two women who falsely claimed she was born a man, her lawyer confirmed on Monday.

The case, which has drawn widespread attention and fueled years of online conspiracy theories, now heads to the Court of Cassation — France’s top appeals body — after the Paris Court of Appeal last week dismissed the defamation charges.

Brigitte Macron, 72, had previously filed a libel complaint against Amandine Roy, a self-proclaimed spiritual medium, and Natacha Rey, an independent journalist, for their widely circulated YouTube video from December 2021. In the four-hour video, the two women discussed the baseless claim that Macron was born as “Jean-Michel Trogneux” — the name of her actual brother — and had transitioned genders before marrying future French President Emmanuel Macron.

The disinformation campaign gained traction online and was picked up by conspiracy theorists both in France and abroad, including fringe circles in the United States. The First Lady’s 24-year age difference with her husband has also long made her the subject of online speculation and tabloid fodder.

In September 2023, a lower court ruled in Brigitte Macron’s favor, ordering the women to pay €8,000 ($9,400) in damages to her and an additional €5,000 to her brother, Jean-Michel Trogneux. That verdict has now been overturned.

Speaking to AFP, Brigitte Macron’s lawyer Jean Ennochi confirmed that both the First Lady and her brother were taking their cases to the Court of Cassation in a bid to reinstate the earlier convictions.

The case highlights the persistent challenges posed by online disinformation and the reputational harm such conspiracies can cause, even at the highest levels of public life.