“She was a woman”: Candace Owens reacts after French court convicts ten over false online attacks on Brigitte Macron

Candace Owens reacted sharply after a French court convicted ten people for cyber-bullying France’s first lady, Brigitte Macron. The case focused on false online claims that questioned her gender. On January 5, 2026, Candace Owens reposted an article shared by The New York Times on X and challenged how the case was being reported. In her caption, she argued that the ruling was being framed in a misleading way.

“Once again these headlines are written in a way to deceive the public into believing that Brigitte proved she was a woman. NO. France just has cyber-bullying laws,” Candace Owens wrote.




She went further and compared the case to other public identity debates. Owens said that under similar laws, people could face punishment simply for disputing personal claims online.

“In essence, Rachel Dolezal could secure a conviction against people for asserting that she was born white,” Candace Owens added.

Her comments came the same day a Paris court confirmed that the online claims against Brigitte Macron were false, harmful, and part of a long harassment campaign.

Paris court ruling, Brigitte Macron’s testimony, and the wider legal fight involving Candace Owens

According to a report by the BBC published on January 5, a Paris court found eight men and two women guilty of cyber-bullying Brigitte Macron, the wife of French President Emmanuel Macron.

The court ruled that the defendants spread false and damaging claims about her gender and sexuality. Some posts also mocked the 24-year age gap between the couple. The judge said the comments were degrading and clearly meant to cause harm.

Most of the accused received suspended prison sentences of up to eight months. One person was jailed after failing to appear in court. Several also faced penalties, including suspended social media accounts.

After the verdict, Brigitte Macron’s lawyer, Jean Ennochi, said the wider punishments mattered most. “The most important things are the prevention courses and the suspension of some of the accounts (of the perpetrators),” he said, as reported by the BBC.

During the trial, Brigitte Macron’s daughter from a previous marriage, Tiphaine Auzière, spoke about the personal impact. She said the harassment affected her mother’s health and daily life.

“(My mother) has had to be careful about her choices of outfits, of posture… she knows perfectly well that her image will be used to back these theories,” Auzière told the court. She added that the abuse also affected her children, who faced taunts at school.

The ruling came months before a separate and larger legal battle in the United States. As reported by CNN on July 23, 2025, the Macrons filed a defamation lawsuit against Candace Owens in Delaware Superior Court. The lawsuit accused her of spreading false claims for over a year.

The case followed Candace Owens’ podcast series Becoming Brigitte, released in February 2025, where she claimed Brigitte Macron was born as a man. The lawsuit said these claims caused deep personal harm.

Brigitte Macron later spoke on French TV channel TF1 on January 4, saying she hoped standing up to online abuse would send a message, especially to young people.

Also Read: “I Want To Apologize”: Alex Jones Uses Sarcasm To Question Candace Owens Source Over Zodiac Killer Father Claim