A foreign head of state just filed 88 counts of defamation claims against an American podcaster in her home state of Tennessee—and the American press is cheering it on. French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte filed a new lawsuit in Nashville on November 4 against Candace Owens personally, escalating a transatlantic legal fight that tests whether foreign leaders can use U.S. courts to silence American citizens.
The Macrons first sued Owens and her companies in Delaware in July 2025 over claims Owens made on her podcast and on X about Brigitte Macron's background—including that she was born a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux, who is actually her older brother, and committed identity theft to hide a gender transition; that Emmanuel Macron was elected as part of a CIA mind-control program; and that the couple are blood-related relatives committing incest. A Delaware judge ruled the court had no personal jurisdiction over Owens since she lives in Tennessee. The case against her companies remains pending.
Now the Macrons are coming directly for Owens where she lives. The new Tennessee complaint includes 88 counts of defamation, false light, and defamation by implication, and demands actual, presumed, and punitive damages—plus an injunction barring Owens from republishing any statements the Macrons deem defamatory.
A representative for the Macrons' legal team said Owens "was adamant that Tennessee is where this case belongs because it's where she lives," adding: "With this filing, we are giving her exactly what she has repeatedly demanded."
Since the Delaware filing, Owens released an eight-part podcast series called "Becoming Brigitte" and continued posting on X. The new complaint alleges Owens "unequivocally doubled down" and has a financial motive—selling merchandise mocking the Macrons and collecting donations based on her reporting. The lawsuit also targets Owens's use of a "Brigitte doll" in her videos, which the filing calls "a grotesque, alien-like figure" reminiscent of the ET character, and argues it confirms her "campaign against Mrs Macron is driven by animus toward Mrs Macron's perceived gender identity, gender, and sexuality."
The Guardian framed Owens as a "far-right US podcaster" spreading "false claims" and "outlandish, defamatory, and far-fetched fictions." The New York Post referred to her as a "right-wing podcaster" and noted that Owens herself released excerpts of the court filing. What neither outlet highlights: the Macrons aren't just seeking damages. They're seeking a court order barring an American citizen from speaking—a prior restraint demand that should alarm anyone who reads the First Amendment.
An official from Macron's office confirmed the filing but referred questions to the couple's personal U.S. lawyer, who did not respond to a request for comment, according to the New York Post.
The question now is whether a Tennessee court will let a foreign head of state set the boundaries of what an American citizen can say about him—or whether the First Amendment still means something when the plaintiff has a presidential seal.
