 "Brigitte Macron’s hacked tax file identifies her as a man: The controversy explained")
France’s First Lady Brigitte Macron recently discovered that her official tax profile had been manipulated to identify her as a man.
According to her chief of staff, Tristan Bromet, the modification appeared in a secure area of the government’s online tax portal — one that ordinary users cannot alter.
The 72-year-old spouse of French President Emmanuel Macron was logging into her account when she noticed her name had been changed to “Jean-Michel, known as Brigitte Macron.”
The discovery, Bromet revealed, left both of them “completely surprised.”
He recalled in his interview with French broadcaster BFMTV, “I tried it again with her, and sure enough. It’s a section reserved for your username, so it can’t be changed.”
The incident, which was revealed through a documentary released on Sunday, has only added another new and disturbing chapter to an ongoing campaign of misinformation that has followed Macron for several years.
Her office has confirmed that a formal complaint was filed soon after the discovery, prompting an investigation into how such a change was made in a protected state database.
The French tax authority’s inquiry later identified two individuals — a Corsican couple named Juliette and Laurent A. — who had entered the false name in their own tax return as part of a political protest.
In their filing, they had listed the first lady’s altered name in a section related to dependents with disabilities. Both later admitted responsibility, with Laurent A. expressing regret in February, describing the act as a “stupid and thoughtless joke.”
Even though the pair apologised, Macron has chose to pursue legal action, regarding the intrusion not as a prank but as part of a broader pattern of online harassment aimed at her character and family.
The documentary also suggested that the tax administration had initially considered the issue an administrative error before the deliberate manipulation was confirmed.
What are the conspiracies against Brigitte Macron?
The incident did not occur in isolation. It is directly tied to years of online rumours that falsely claimed Brigitte Macron was born male under the name “Jean-Michel Trogneux.”
In reality, her maiden name is Trogneux, and Jean-Michel is her brother.
These falsehoods began circulating widely in 2021 after the French far-right publication Faits et Documents published baseless claims that the first lady had assumed her sister’s identity.
What followed was a storm of online speculation that blurred the lines between social media gossip, political hostility, and digital defamation.
Two French women, self-described journalist Natacha Rey and “clairvoyant” Amandine Roy (real name Delphine Jegousse), gave the conspiracy a global platform when they released a four-hour video on YouTube the same year.
The video accused Macron of being “a swindle,” “a deception,” and “a state lie,” while circulating personal photographs of her and her family.
The Macrons swiftly took legal action for defamation. A French court initially found the women guilty and ordered them to pay fines, but the Paris Court of Appeal later overturned the ruling, citing freedom of expression.
The first lady subsequently appealed that decision, arguing that freedom of expression should not shield deliberate personal defamation.
The same narrative found renewed attention in the United States earlier this year when conservative commentator Candace Owens, a long-time supporter of US President Donald Trump, reignited the rumour through an eight-part podcast series titled Becoming Brigitte.
The series, which gained millions of views on YouTube and X (formerly Twitter), repeated the claim that Macron was transgender and included additional unsubstantiated allegations about her and her husband.
Owens’s claims drew intense criticism in France and abroad, but she refused to retract her remarks. In her own words, she declared, “I would stake [my] entire professional reputation on the fact that Brigitte Macron is in fact a man.”
The first lady’s legal team has argued that this rhetoric goes beyond political commentary and into deliberate defamation.
Their lawyer, Tom Clare, explained on the BBC’s Fame Under Fire podcast, “We’re prepared to demonstrate fully, both generically and specifically, that what she’s saying about Brigitte Macron is false. It is a process that she will have to subject herself to in a very public way. But she’s willing to do it. She is firmly resolved to do what it takes to set the record straight.”
The documentary that revealed the hacking also explored fringe theories that have circulated online for years — including the unfounded claim that the “real” Brigitte Macron had died decades ago and that her brother allegedly assumed her identity.
Such speculation, the film’s authors stressed, remains entirely unsupported by evidence but continues to capture public imagination due to social media’s amplification of misinformation.
What is Macrons’ legal counteroffensive?
The growing intensity of these attacks prompted the French presidential couple to take their legal battle across borders.
In July, Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron filed a defamation lawsuit against Candace Owens at the Superior Court in Delaware, where her company, Candace Owens LLC, is registered.
The 218-page complaint accused Owens of ignoring factual evidence and continuing to “platform known conspiracy theorists and proven defamers.”
It also stated that when asked to withdraw her statements, she refused and “retaliated” by repeating them in her podcast and through social media posts.
The lawsuit seeks punitive damages and a jury trial, describing Owens’s allegations as “outlandish, defamatory, and far-fetched.”
Among other claims, the podcast had alleged that President Macron had risen to power through a CIA “mind control programme,” that the couple were in an incestuous relationship, and that they had engaged in acts of forgery and fraud — all without any credible proof.
In a counter move, Owens stated she would demand that the First Lady “sit down for an exam with an independent doctor” and said her team intended to obtain “her medical records.”
Her lawyers argued that her public statements fall under the protection of free speech, though legal experts in France have noted that US laws on defamation and personal privacy differ sharply from those in Europe.
Which are the legal cases in Paris?
Back in Paris, a separate criminal case continues to unfold. Ten individuals — eight men and two women between the ages of 41 and 60 — are currently on trial for what prosecutors describe as “sexist cyberbullying” targeting the first lady.
The trial, taking place in the Paris Criminal Court, features an eclectic mix of defendants: a teacher, elected official, art gallery owner, medium, and computer scientist.
They stand accused of orchestrating or amplifying misogynistic and defamatory content about Mrs Macron online, often referencing both her age and false claims about her gender.
The smear campaigns have not only targeted her personally but have also sought to exploit the 24-year age gap between her and the president, at times equating it with “paedophilia.”
Among those charged in the Paris trial is Aurélien Poirson-Atlan, a 41-year-old advertising executive accused of operating under the pseudonym “Zoe Sagan.”
Prosecutors allege that he helped to spread falsehoods about Brigitte Macron’s gender identity and previously circulated explicit videos of Benjamin Griveaux, a former mayoral candidate for Paris who resigned after the scandal.
Also standing trial is Delphine Jegousse — known online as Amandine Roy — who had earlier been acquitted of defamation but now faces new charges linked to cyber harassment.
She and fellow conspirator Natacha Rey were among the first to amplify the baseless narrative in 2021.
Authorities in France view the case as a major test for the country’s ability to prosecute gender-based and reputational cybercrimes.
The French government has strengthened laws to combat “sexist cyber harassment” in recent years, following several high-profile cases involving public figures and journalists who faced coordinated online abuse.
How has this personally affected the French first lady?
Brigitte Macron, who has maintained a largely reserved public profile compared to her husband, has repeatedly found herself the subject of invasive commentary about her appearance, marriage, and private life.
Tristan Bromet, who has served as her chief of staff since 2017, described the hacking as particularly distressing because it struck at the heart of her identity through an official government system.
“Like many French people, Madame Macron logged into her personal account on the tax website. She logs into the system and sees that it does not say Brigitte Macron, but Jean-Michel Macron,” he recounted.
For Macron, the incident reinforced how conspiracy theories can escape the digital realm and manifest in real-world violations.
The fact that her official records were manipulated — even as a symbolic prank — put a spotlight on the reach and audacity of those seeking to discredit her.
While some online users initially dismissed the case as trivial, French officials have characterised it as part of a wider campaign of harassment that weaponises misinformation against women in politics and public life.
Also Watch:
With inputs from agencies
 "Pakistan general meets Bangladesh’s Yunus. Is this ominous for India?")
 "Pakistan submits ‘final position’ to Taliban as talks in Turkey enter third day")
 "Russia claims downing 193 Ukrainian drones, including 34 targeting Moscow")
 "Indian economy to grow more than expected at 6.7% this year, say economists")
 "Pakistan general meets Bangladesh’s Yunus. Is this ominous for India?")
 "Pakistan submits ‘final position’ to Taliban as talks in Turkey enter third day")
 "Russia claims downing 193 Ukrainian drones, including 34 targeting Moscow")
 "Indian economy to grow more than expected at 6.7% this year, say economists")
