On January 5, 2026, a Paris court handed down a landmark ruling, finding ten people guilty of cyberbullying France’s first lady, Brigitte Macron. The verdict, widely reported by outlets such as AP, BBC, and Deutsche Welle, marks a significant moment in the ongoing battle against online harassment and conspiracy theories targeting public figures in France and beyond.
The case revolved around a torrent of false claims and malicious rumors that had spread across various social media platforms, alleging that Brigitte Macron was born a man and making degrading references to her gender, sexuality, and the age gap between her and President Emmanuel Macron. The posts, some of which were viewed tens of thousands of times, also included particularly offensive allegations of pedophilia—a charge the court described as “particularly degrading, insulting, and malicious.”
The ten defendants, eight men and two women aged between 41 and 65, came from a range of backgrounds, including an elected official, a teacher, a computer scientist, and well-known bloggers. According to AP, the court imposed sentences that reflected the gravity of their actions: one defendant received a six-month prison term, while eight others were handed suspended sentences ranging from four to eight months. All ten were ordered to attend cyberbullying awareness training, and several saw their online access suspended for six months on the platforms where they had posted the offending material. Additionally, the group was ordered to jointly pay €10,000 (about $11,675) in compensation to Brigitte Macron for moral damages.
Notably, one defendant, Delphine Jegousse—known online as Amandine Roy and self-described as a medium and author—was found to have played a major role in spreading the rumors after releasing a four-hour video on her YouTube channel in 2021. She was sentenced to six months in prison. Another, Aurélien Poirson-Atlan (known as Zoé Sagan online), had his social media account suspended in 2024 and received an eight-month prison sentence, as did a gallery owner involved in the case. The only defendant who avoided a prison sentence was a teacher who apologized during the trial and will instead attend the mandated training sessions.
During the proceedings, several defendants argued that their comments were intended as humor or satire, expressing confusion over their prosecution. However, the court was unequivocal in its assessment, stating that the repeated publications had “cumulative harmful effects.” The judge emphasized that the defendants acted with a clear desire to do harm, making remarks that were “degrading and insulting,” as reported by BBC.
Brigitte Macron herself did not attend the two-day trial, which took place in October 2025. However, she spoke out on national television the day before the verdict, telling TF1 that she had launched legal proceedings to “set an example” in the fight against online harassment. Her lawyer, Jean Ennochi, echoed this sentiment, telling the AFP news agency that “the most important things are the prevention courses and the suspension of some of the accounts” of the perpetrators.
The impact of the harassment extended far beyond Brigitte Macron herself. Her daughter, Tiphaine Auzière, testified about the “deterioration” of her mother’s life since the online attacks intensified, noting that “she cannot ignore the horrible things said about her.” Auzière told the court that the abuse had affected the entire family, even reaching Macron’s grandchildren, who were taunted at school. “She 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 explained, highlighting the profound personal toll of the cyberbullying campaign.
The roots of the conspiracy theories targeting Brigitte Macron stretch back to the early days of her husband’s presidency in 2017. Persistent rumors falsely claimed that she was born under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux—a name that, in reality, belongs to her brother. Over the years, these allegations were amplified by various internet personalities and even found their way into mainstream discourse. According to BBC, two self-styled independent journalists, Natacha Rey and Amandine Roy, were previously found guilty of slander in 2024 for claiming that Brigitte Macron never existed, but they were later cleared on appeal. The Macrons are now taking that case to the high court of appeal, signaling their determination to combat such defamatory narratives through every available legal avenue.
The Paris court’s ruling is seen as a forerunner to an even larger legal battle unfolding across the Atlantic. In July 2025, the Macrons filed a defamation lawsuit in the United States against conservative influencer Candace Owens. They allege that Owens orchestrated a “campaign of global humiliation” by repeatedly promoting the conspiracy theory that Brigitte Macron was born a man. Owens, for her part, has been unrepentant, stating in March 2024 that she would stake her “entire professional reputation” on her belief that the first lady “is in fact a man.” The Macrons’ legal complaint asserts that Owens “disregarded all credible evidence disproving her claim in favor of platforming known conspiracy theorists and proven defamers.”
For years, the Macrons were advised to ignore the online gossip, fearing that legal action would only amplify the rumors. But as the scale and virulence of the attacks grew, they changed course in 2025, opting to confront the conspiracy theorists head-on, even at the risk of exposing their private lives in court. The decision to fight back has drawn both praise and criticism in France, reflecting broader debates about freedom of expression, the responsibilities of social media platforms, and the legal limits of satire and humor.
Brigitte and Emmanuel Macron’s relationship has long attracted public fascination in France. The couple first met when he was a student at the high school where she taught French. They married in 2007, with Brigitte Macron, then called Brigitte Auzière, already a mother of three and 24 years her husband’s senior. Emmanuel Macron, now 48, has served as France’s president since 2017.
The Paris court’s decision has been regarded by legal experts and advocacy groups as a crucial step in holding online abusers to account and setting a precedent for future cases involving digital harassment. As the Macrons prepare for further legal battles abroad, the case has ignited a wider conversation about the rights of public figures to defend their reputations—and the ongoing challenge of balancing free speech with protections against targeted, harmful online abuse.
For now, the ruling stands as a stark reminder that the internet, while a place for debate and dissent, is not above the law when it comes to basic human decency.
