Candace Owens Sued by Macrons: Free Speech Battle or Defamation?

Candace Owens BioSnap a weekly updated Biography.

This week Candace Owens is at the center of an international media storm after French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte filed a blockbuster defamation lawsuit against her in a U.S. court, igniting headlines like “France’s Macron sues Candace Owens for claiming his wife, Brigitte, is a man.” According to the 219-page complaint filed in Delaware, the Macrons accuse Owens of orchestrating a global campaign of humiliation through what they call “outlandish, defamatory, and far-fetched fictions” for personal profit—most notably, the repeated claim that Brigitte Macron was born a man. Axios reports the Macrons’ legal team details how Owens used this narrative in her own independent podcast after leaving The Daily Wire in 2024, launching an eight-part series called “Becoming Brigitte” as well as merchandise, all while repeatedly rebuffing private requests for a retraction. The French first couple say filing suit was a last resort and hope their action will “set the record straight and end this campaign of defamation once and for all.”

Owens is showing no signs of backing down. In a fiery response on Time, she declared she “won’t shut up,” doubling down in her podcast and social posts, and framing the lawsuit as a calculated PR stunt by the Macrons. She calls the proceedings a foreign government’s “attack” on the First Amendment rights of an American independent journalist, vowing to address every detail “on her show today.” Critical coverage from PolitiFact and The Associated Press highlights that the central claim originated from long-debunked conspiracy circles, making Owens’ persistence more controversial. Courthouse News notes that figures like Tucker Carlson and Joe Rogan have joined the wider discussion online, fueling further social media buzz.

Meanwhile, mainstream outlets from CBS News to The Jerusalem Post emphasize that contemporary legal experts see this as a rare case of a sitting world leader suing an online influencer—an illustration of how social media provocateurs like Owens can create international diplomatic headaches. Since relaunching her media operation, Owens has amassed a YouTube audience topping 4.47 million and nearly 7 million followers on X, despite repeated monetization crackdowns for hate speech and conspiracy content, as documented in a recent legal complaint made publicly available by the firm Clare Locke. On Instagram, commentators have named this the most audacious online defamation suit in years. There is speculation online about whether this lawsuit could set new precedents in cross-border online speech, but for now, Owens seems to be betting her brand—and potentially her fortune—on her ability to ride the whirlwind she created.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This week, Candace Owens is at the centre of an
international media storm after French President Emmanuel Macron and his
wife Brigitte filed a blockbuster defamation lawsuit against her in
a U S court, igniting headlines like Francis Macran sues
Candace Owens for claiming his wife Burgitte is a man.
According to the two hundred nineteen page complaint filed in Delaware,

(00:23):
the Macrans accuse Owens of orchestrating a global campaign of
humiliation through what they call outlandish, defamatory and far fished
fictions for personal profit, most notably the repeated claim that
Brigitte Macran was born a man. Axios reports the Macran's
legal team details how Owens used this narrative in her

(00:45):
own independent podcast after leaving The Daily Wire in twenty
twenty four, launching an eight part series called Becoming Brigitte,
as well as merchandise, all while repeatedly rebuffing private requests
for a retraction. The French first couple say filing suit
was a last resort and hope their action will set

(01:05):
the record straight and end this campaign of defamation once
and for all. Owens is showing no signs of backing down.
In a fiery response on Time, she declared she won't
shut up, doubling down in her podcast, in social posts,
and framing the lawsuit as a calculated pr stunt by
the Macrans. She calls the proceedings a foreign government's attack

(01:30):
on the First Amendment rights of an American independent journalist,
vowing to address every detail on her show to day.
Critical coverage from PolitiFact and The Associated Press highlights that
the central claim originated from long debunked conspiracy circles, making
Owens's persistence more controversial. Courthouse News notes that figures like

(01:51):
Tucker Carlson and Joe Rogan have joined the wider discussion online,
fueling further social media buzz. Meanwhile, mainstream outlets from CBS
News to The Jerusalem Post emphasized that contemporary legal experts
see this as a rare case of a sitting world
leader suing an online influencer, an illustration of how social

(02:12):
media provocateurs like Owen's can create international diplomatic headaches. Since
relaunching her media operation, Owens has amassed a YouTube audience
topping four point four to seven million and nearly seven
million followers on x Despite repeated monetization crackdowns for hate
speech and conspiracy content, as documented in a recent legal

(02:35):
complaint made publicly available by the firm Claire Locke on Instagram.
Commentators have named this the most audacious online defamation suit
in years. There is speculation online about whether this lawsuit
could set new precedents in cross border online speech, but
for now, Owens seems to be betting her brand and

(02:58):
potentially her fortune, on her ability to ride the whirlwind
she created. And that is it for to day. Make
sure you hit the subscribe button and never miss an
update on Candace Owen's Thanks for listening. This has been
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(03:19):
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