The judge says the defendants damaged Brigitte Macron’s ‘physical and mental health’.
Published on October 27, 2025
Ten people have gone on trial in a Paris court accused of online harassment of French first lady Brigitte Macron, the latest case involving unsubstantiated claims about her gender.
Eight men and two women between the ages of 41 and 60 – the defendants – are accused of cyber-harassment by targeting the first woman, who is a transgender woman who was born male, and citing her 24-year age gap with the French president. Emmanuel Macron As “pedophilia”.
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The hearing came after Macron, who was not present during the two-day proceedings on Monday, filed the case. Defamation suit in the United States at the end of July.
The chief justice said the defendant – whose post quickly gained traction online, garnering thousands of views – had “impaired” the first lady’s “physical and mental health”.
Seven of the defendants were in court on Monday, while the other three were represented by their lawyers.
Delphine Jegos, 51, known as Amandine Roy, who describes herself as a medium and a writer, played a major role in spreading rumors about the first lady’s gender in 2021 after she released a four-hour video on her YouTube channel.
Also among the defendants is Aurelian Poirson-Atlan, 41, known on social media as Zoe Sagan, who is often linked to conspiracy theory circles and who had his X account suspended last year.
Others include an elected official, a teacher and a computer scientist.
Macron has been puzzled by conspiracy theories for years that Brigitte, 72, was born to a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux, who later adopted the name Brigitte as a transgender woman.
Jean Michel Trogneux is the name of Brigitte’s brother. The couple won a defamation suit against Jegos and another woman who were sentenced by a Paris court to fines and damages for spreading the claims.
A Paris appeals court overturned the decision in July. Brigitte and her brother have turned to France’s Supreme Court to appeal that decision.
The claims have been raised by far-right and conspiracy theorist circles in France, but also in the United States, where transgender rights have become a key target in the US culture wars.
The Macrons’ lawyer in the US case said the couple would seek “substantial” damages from conservative influencer Candace Owens, whose YouTube channel has around 4.5 million subscribers, if she claims Brigitte is a man.
The outcome of the Paris trial will probably be issued at a later date.