Far-right podcaster Candace Owens is facing gibes on social media now that news has broken about a defamation lawsuit brought by French President Emmanuelle Macron and his wife, Brigitte.
The 218-page suit was filed in Delaware on Wednesday, accusing Owens of publishing “outlandish, defamatory, and far-fetched fictions”, including that she "is in fact a man," born under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux.
According to the suit, Owens broadcast that she would "stake [her] entire professional reputation on the fact that Brigitte Macron [The First Lady of France] is in fact a man."
The suit alleged that Owens has repeated the false statements in order to "gain notoriety" and "make money."
The Financial Times claimed the lawsuit against Owens "is a rare case of a serving world leader personally suing an online influencer over their content."
"Good. It's about time," wrote the account of @Fly_Sistah, while Gen Z influencer @DashDobrofsky wrote, "This is how it’s done."
"Candace Owens is about to take a ride on the FAFO Train," wrote former Project Lincoln commentator @PhilipJGermain.
"Amazing," wrote @BackAvatar. "The Obamas should start suing too."
"I probably would’ve advised Macron not to elevate Candace Owens with this much attention, but now that it’s in motion, it’s clear: You can only ignore vile, conspiratorial hate for so long before it corrodes truth and public discourse," wrote the account of @odinikaeze."
They added, "Candace crossed a line from provocation into slander, and the Macrons are drawing a legal boundary. Sometimes, silence isn’t strength, it’s surrender."
HuffPost's Yashar Ali called the lawsuit "an extraordinary, unprecedented step for a head of state to take against a citizen of another country, but Mrs. Macron has told friends that these allegations, which have been spread across the globe, have traumatized her."
