In a Paris courtroom on Tuesday, the daughter of France’s first lady delivered a striking and emotional testimony, shedding light on the profound personal toll of a years-long campaign of online harassment targeting Brigitte Macron. The case, which has captured attention both in France and abroad, revolves around persistent, unfounded rumors about the first lady’s gender—rumors that have spiraled into a full-blown cyberbullying trial with ten defendants facing possible prison time.
Tiphaine Auzière, a 41-year-old lawyer and the youngest of Brigitte Macron’s three children, took the stand to describe what she called the “deterioration” of her mother’s life since the conspiracy theory first emerged in 2017. "She cannot ignore the horrible things said about her," Auzière told the court, according to Associated Press. "There isn’t a single week when she isn’t harassed, not one person in her personal or professional life fails to bring up these allegations." The relentless nature of the attacks has left Brigitte Macron suffering from “deep anxiety,” Auzière said, an assessment supported by medical professionals.
The trial, which began on October 28, 2025, sees eight men and two women, aged between 41 and 65, accused of posting malicious comments online about Brigitte Macron’s gender and sexuality. Prosecutors allege that the defendants not only spread the rumor that the first lady was born a man but also compared the 24-year age gap between Brigitte and President Emmanuel Macron to “pedophilia.” Some of these posts, as reported by AFP and CNN, have garnered tens of thousands of views, amplifying the harm and making it nearly impossible for the family to escape the rumor’s reach.
The accused come from diverse backgrounds: a clerk, a gallery owner, an IT specialist, a teacher, a property manager, a business owner, and even an elected official. If convicted, they face up to two years in prison. Prosecutors have sought suspended prison sentences ranging from three to twelve months and fines of up to 8,000 euros, with the heaviest sentences reserved for three defendants described as “instigators.” The remaining seven are considered “followers.”
Among the most prominent defendants is Aurélien Poirson-Atlan, a 41-year-old advertising executive known online as “Zoé Sagan,” whose social media accounts have been suspended due to repeated complaints. Prosecutors requested a 12-month suspended sentence, an 8,000 euro fine, and a six-month ban from social media for Poirson-Atlan, who defended his actions in court as satire and claimed some messages were generated using artificial intelligence. Another defendant, 56-year-old Bertrand Scholler, told the court the proceedings threatened his "freedom to think" in the face of what he called the "media deep state." Prosecutors have asked for a six-month suspended sentence and a 3,000 euro fine for Scholler, along with a six-month suspension of his online accounts.
Delphine J., a 51-year-old spiritual medium who goes by the pseudonym “Amandine Roy,” is also on trial. She had previously been convicted for slandering Brigitte Macron after posting a four-hour interview on YouTube in 2021 with self-described journalist Natacha Rey. The interview claimed, without evidence, that Brigitte Macron was once a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux—actually the name of Brigitte’s brother. Although Delphine J. and Rey were initially ordered to pay damages in 2024, the sentence was later overturned on appeal, prompting Brigitte Macron to escalate the case to France’s highest court.
Tiphaine Auzière’s testimony painted a vivid picture of the impact on her mother’s daily life. "She’s constantly having to pay attention to what she wears, how she holds herself because she knows that her image can be distorted," Auzière explained, as reported by Reuters. The first lady, 72, now reads the harassing tweets shown to her but, according to her daughter, "no longer wants to." The attacks have also deeply affected the wider family. "This has repercussions on her children and grandchildren. They hear things at school such as, ‘Your grandmother is a man.’ I don’t know how to make it stop," Auzière said.
Brigitte Macron herself did not attend the trial but provided testimony to investigators, describing the "very strong effect" the rumors have had on her and those close to her. The family’s ordeal, as recounted in court and by French media, has not only been psychological but also reputational—every aspect of the first lady’s public and private life is scrutinized and, at times, weaponized online.
The origins of the conspiracy theory date back to Emmanuel Macron’s election as president in 2017. The rumor, initially confined to fringe corners of the internet, quickly gained traction and was amplified by far-right and conspiracy circles in both France and the United States. The controversy has intersected with broader culture wars, particularly in the US, where transgender rights remain a deeply polarizing issue.
In July 2025, the Macrons filed a defamation lawsuit in Delaware against American conservative influencer Candace Owens. Owens, who boasts nearly 4.5 million YouTube subscribers, produced a series titled “Becoming Brigitte” and revived the conspiracy theory in a March 2025 video provocatively titled “Is France’s First Lady a Man?” The Macrons’ US lawyer has indicated they plan to offer "scientific" evidence and photographs to debunk the claims. Several of the Paris defendants are alleged to have shared Owens’ content, further fueling the international spread of the rumor.
The prosecution’s case in Paris is built on the argument that the defendants’ actions went far beyond legitimate free speech, amounting instead to coordinated cyber-harassment with serious real-world consequences. One defendant, Jérôme C., argued in court that he was simply exercising his right to freedom of expression, while others cited satire or a battle against the so-called "media deep state." But for Brigitte Macron and her family, the impact has been anything but abstract. According to France Info, medical assessments support the claim that the cyberbullying has led to a significant deterioration in Brigitte Macron’s mental health.
The trial, which is expected to last two days, follows waves of arrests earlier in 2025 after the first lady’s lawyer filed a formal complaint in August 2024. A verdict is anticipated at a later date, but the case has already shone a spotlight on the intersection of online disinformation, personal privacy, and the limits of free speech in the digital age.
Beyond the Macrons, other high-profile women in politics—including Michelle Obama, Kamala Harris, and Jacinda Ardern—have faced similar attacks, highlighting the gendered nature of much online harassment. As the Paris court weighs its decision, the outcome may set an important precedent for how democracies respond to the challenges posed by viral disinformation and the very real harm it can inflict on individuals and families.
The courtroom drama in Paris is a stark reminder that, for all the talk of satire and free expression, words—especially when weaponized online—can have consequences that ripple far beyond the screen.
