'Harmful and irresponsible': Candace Owens slammed over debunked claim regarding Brigitte Macron's gender

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Controversial conservative commentator Candace Owens has reignited a debunked conspiracy theory regarding the gender of Brigitte Macron, the wife of French President Emmanuel Macron.

Owens, known for her incendiary statements, has staked her career on the assertion that Brigitte Macron was born male. These unfounded claims have sparked widespread condemnation and renewed scrutiny of the dangers of spreading misinformation.

Candace Owens revives debunked theory

The saga began when Owens took to social media to propagate the false theory, following a discussion on her podcast where she outlined the baseless allegations.

According to Owens, Brigitte Macron, aged 70, was purportedly born as Jean-Michel Trogneux and transitioned at the age of 30. Additionally, Owens alleges that Brigitte Macron never bore any of her three children and that her first husband, reportedly deceased, never existed.

The origins of this conspiracy theory trace back to a discredited article published by the right-wing magazine Faits et Documents following Emmanuel Macron's election as president.

Despite being debunked multiple times, the theory gained traction once again after Macron's step-daughter, Tiphaine Auziere, addressed the claims in an interview with Paris Match, per the Daily Mail.

"I have concerns about the level of society when I hear what is circulating on social networks about my mother being a man," she said. 

Owens, on Tuesday, March 12, resurfaced the speculation on social media platforms, asserting her unwavering belief in its validity.

"After looking into this, I would stake my entire professional reputation on the fact that Brigitte Macron is in fact a man," Owens, 34, wrote on X, alongside a link to the episode from the night before.

"Any journalist or publication that is trying to dismiss this plausibility is immediately identifiable as establishment," she declared.

"I have never seen anything like this in my life. The implications here are terrifying. I do not intend to let up on this story and I am calling on other journalists to look into this explosive story and report accordingly."

Citing a purported "three-year investigation" by a publication to support her claims, Owens delved into a purported family photo from Brigitte Macron's childhood, suggesting a striking resemblance between her and her older brother.

"[The] theory is that the first lady Brigitte Macron was actually born Jean-Michel [Trogneux] - so Brigitte is actually Jean-Michel," Owens wrote. "Jean-Michel lived as a man for 30 years, fathered five children, OK, and then transitioned at the age of 30 to become Brigitte."

She presented a "before-and-after photo," allegedly utilized in the discredited Faits et Documents investigation, which purportedly showed similarities between an undated picture of Brigitte's brother and the first lady herself.

During her discourse, Owens challenged the credibility of Brigitte Macron's inability to produce photos from her purported early years as evidence against the theory.

"The first obvious thing is the first lady is simply unable to produce any photos of herself throughout the first 30 years of her life," she said.

"Guys, how easy to debunk this - if you say Candace, no, actually you lived as a man for 30 years, I've lived 30 years: I'm going to show you every photo of every year that I've lived."

She juxtaposed her own extensive collection of personal photos from various life stages to illustrate her point.

"Here's me in college right, here's me while I was pregnant with my children. Here's me and my husband on our wedding day," she continued.

"There would be so many photos that Brigitte should have at her disposal if this is false,' she charges, but they won't produce any. Nope - they're just calling everybody wrong and backwards and transphobic. Just produce the photos."

"Instead, the only photos they have produced that are circulating in the media are the photos that I just showed you," she added, citing photos that reportedly show Brigitte's brother Jean-Michel Trogneux as a child, as well as a young Brigitte.

"And, as I said, in the first photo she looks more like the Jean-Michel who she claims is actually her brother, who she won't just present to the public," Owens added.

"If that is in fact your brother, please just go on a walk with him so we can capture it."

Owens' remarks came just days after Emmanuel Macron himself addressed the issue during an International Women's Day event, decrying the dissemination of false information and fabricated scenarios. "People eventually believe them and disturb you, even in your intimacy," he lamented.

Social Media Backlash

Social media was inundated with criticisms of Owens after she staked her "entire professional reputation on the fact that Brigitte Macron is in fact a man."

"Sure, and I'll stake my yacht, we can both bet using things we don't have," one posted on X.

"What 'professional reputation'?" another quipped.

"Honestly, I'd probably stake my reputation that Candace Owens was also born a man," someone else wrote.

"The statement is baseless, offensive, and lacks evidence. Spreading unfounded rumors about someone's gender is harmful and irresponsible. It is important to fact-check before making such serious accusations," another chimed in.

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