Credits: U.S. Department of State from United Sta — public domain.
Whispered, relayed, amplified: the strange transphobic rumor targeting Brigitte Macron illustrates the insidious mechanisms of modern disinformation. A detailed, biting breakdown of a case with delirious overtones.
The Acquittal on Appeal: Between Relief and Perplexity
The fake news went viral as far as the United States. Brigitte Macron was allegedly in fact a transgender woman. That’s what two women claimed by spreading this false rumor. The two defendants, Natacha Rey and Amandine Roy, were acquitted Thursday, July 10, 2025 by the Paris court of appeal regarding the 18 articles contested by the First Lady and her brother.
One charge related to the sexual exploitation of a minor fell under press law. However, the court also acquitted them on grounds of good faith.
“I will see with my clients what we will do, but of course we do not agree” with this ruling, insisted Me Jean Ennochi, Brigitte Macron’s lawyer. “Natacha Rey, hunted, persecuted, condemned. But in the end Natacha Rey acquitted,” rejoiced Me François Danglehant, Rey’s lawyer.
This decision raises questions without calling the justice system into doubt. Where should the line now be drawn between freedom of expression and obvious disinformation?
Convicted at First Instance
In September 2024, Rey and Roy had been found guilty and sentenced to a 500-euro suspended fine, as well as ordered to pay a total of 13,000 euros to Brigitte Macron and her brother, Jean-Michel Trogneux. At the heart of the trial was a video of more than four hours, broadcast in January 2022. It asserts without evidence that the First Lady would be her brother Jean-Michel, who became a woman.
Birth and Spread of a Persistent Rumor
The rumor is born in the shadows and quickly prospers on networks since their arrival at the Élysée. As early as 2021, the shaky but sensational theory took root thanks to a long, confused video posted on Roy’s YouTube channel. The grotesque claim rests on a rough mix of genealogies, blurry photos and unverifiable medical insinuations.
However, despite its obvious absurdity, it spreads at lightning speed. It is carried by communities hungry for scandal and fascinated by conspiracy theories. This phenomenon is not isolated. Several women in politics or the public eye have been victims of similar rumors. Among them, former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama, former U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and even American singer Lady Gaga and Sheila… All have been targeted by campaigns aiming to discredit their image through transphobia.
The Central Role of Social Networks and Media Amplifiers
Marginal accounts and notorious influencers on X, YouTube and Facebook seize on this theory. The rumor quickly goes beyond the French conspiracy scene to reach American media close to the far right, notably amplified by Candace Owens, an influential Trumpist figure. A book, Becoming Brigitte, written by far-right journalist Xavier Poussard, further amplifies the scope of this disinformation across the Atlantic.
This spread reveals the precise mechanisms of contemporary disinformation: an audience fascinated by extravagance and a growing tendency to challenge the official reality.
Transphobia and Political Hostility: Motivations Behind the Rumor
Why target Brigitte Macron specifically? Behind this insidious campaign lies evident political hostility toward the presidential couple, mixed with reactionary fantasies. These accusations, often aimed at powerful women, exploit social anxiety related to gender. They also serve specific political agendas.
Transphobia here turns into a political weapon: accusing the First Lady of hiding her identity reinforces prejudices and weakens Emmanuel Macron by extension.
The Protagonists: Between Self-Proclamations and Convictions
Natacha Rey, “self-taught independent journalist,” and Amandine Roy, “medium,” suddenly find themselves thrust into the center of a national scandal. Their video quickly draws attention and triggers an intense controversy that forces Brigitte Macron to respond publicly.
A Historical Tradition: From the Markovic Affair to Amanda Lear
The use of rumors to discredit public figures is not new. The Markovic affair, which targeted Georges Pompidou in the 1960s, remains emblematic. The presidential couple had been accused without evidence of attending libertine parties to politically weaken Pompidou.
In a different vein, Amanda Lear, singer and TV host emblematic of the 1970s–90s, herself fell victim to a persistent rumor about her gender identity. However, unlike others, Lear chose to exploit this ambiguity for media purposes. Her carefully maintained mystery became her trademark. In Patrick Jeudy’s documentary for Arte, Appelez-moi Mademoiselle, released in 2022, Lear deliberately muddles the trail. Despite years of investigation, no one was able to definitively lift the mystery. Lear, provocative and subtle, even ironically sang about this ambiguity in La Rumeur, openly mocking the public’s obsession with her identity.
Disinformation, Political Tool and Media Phenomenon
The Macron case highlights how the digital space favors the spread of false information, able to disturb public debate. Transphobia thus becomes a worrying and powerful ideological vector.
The dilemma remains: how far should the fight against disinformation go without compromising freedom of expression?
Transphobic Rumor, Symptom of a Deleterious Climate
The affair surrounding Brigitte Macron reveals the excesses of an era marked by distrust of elites. Furthermore, it illustrates the current informational confusion. The line between reality and fantasy remains blurred. The First Lady joins the list of victims of viral campaigns. In these campaigns, gender becomes a pretext for hatred and exclusion.