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The verdict against 10 people who allegedly orchestrated a cyberbullying campaign against President Emmanuel Macron’s wife, Brigitte Macron, by spewing rumors that the first lady is really a man has been adjourned until January, judges ruled.
The verdict is expected on Jan. 5, 2026, and centers on eight men and two women who allegedly played a major role in fueling claims online about Brigitte Macron’s gender and sexuality, according to French prosecutors.
The defendants were also accused of attacking the 24-year age gap between the Macrons, claiming the 72-year-old first lady engaged in “pedophilia.”
Paris judges heard two days of testimonies from the defendants — who included an elected official, a teacher, gallery owner and an IT specialist — each claiming that they were only joining online mockery of Macron that fell under “right of satire.”
Aurélien Poirson-Atlan, a 41-year-old advertiser, slammed the trial as a form of “reverse cyber-harassment,” with his lawyer insisting that his client was protected under freedom of expression.
The Marcons claim that the posts fueled online attacks against their family, who have long been dogged by conspiracy theories that Brigitte was born a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux, which is actually the name of her reclusive brother.
The first lady and her brother won a defamation suit last year against two women who had been spreading the claims online. A Paris appeals court overturned the ruling in July, but the siblings are appealing the decision.
The rumors have taken its toll on the first lady, with her youngest daughter, Tiphaine Auzière, 41, testifying Tuesday that her mother’s mental and physical health had “deteriorated” as a result of the ongoing online abuse.
If convicted, the defendants face up to two years in prison.
The trial comes three months after the French first couple filed a 22-count defamation lawsuit in the US against right-wing podcaster Candace Owens, accusing the YouTuber of echoing rumors that Brigitte was born a man.
The lawsuit seeks “substantial” damages from Owens, who allegedly pushed the conspiracy theory through a series of videos called “Becoming Brigitte.”
