Ten on trial in Paris for online harassment of French First Lady Brigitte Macron

Ten people face trial Monday for cyber-harassment of French First Lady Brigitte Macron, accused of spreading a conspiracy theory claiming she was born male and took her brother's identity, with each facing up to three years in prison and €45,000 fines.

The defendants are accused of posting malicious comments and spreading false rumours about the gender and sexuality of President Emmanuel Macron’s wife.

According to the Paris prosecutor’s office, some of the defendants — eight men and two women aged between 41 and 60, including teachers, IT professionals, and even local officials — went as far as equating the couple’s 24-year age gap to “paedophilia”.

Among the 10 on trial is a 41-year-old advertiser better known by his online alias Zoé Sagan.

His now-suspended X account had thousands of followers and was frequently linked to conspiracy circles.

Another defendant, Delphine J, 51, who describes herself as a “medium,” “journalist,” and “whistleblower” under the alias Amandine Roy, is accused of amplifying the conspiracy theory that Brigitte Macron, born Brigitte Trogneux, “never existed” and that her brother Jean-Michel allegedly “transitioned” and took her identity.

The claim is entirely baseless as her brother is 80 years old and alive.

Delphine J and another defendant, blogger Natacha Rey, were found guilty of defamation in 2024 and ordered to pay damages to Brigitte Macron and her brother, a decision that was overturned on appeal. The French first lady has since taken the case to France’s highest appeals court.

The transphobic conspiracy theory, which first surfaced after Emmanuel Macron’s 2017 election, has spread far beyond France.

In July 2025, the Macron couple filed a defamation lawsuit in the United States against far-right commentator Candace Owens, who released a series of videos titled _“_Becoming Brigitte.”

Some of the French defendants reportedly shared manipulated images and false information inspired by Owens’ content, including a fake Time magazine cover naming Brigitte Macron “Man of the Year”.