JUST IN: 10 people have been convicted for cyber-bullying France's Brigitte Macron, claiming she was trans and accused her of being a pedo for her relationship with then-teenager Emmanuel Macron.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 5, 2026
Brigitte met her now-husband when he was just 15, and she was 39.
One defendant… pic.twitter.com/LOSFaIIP8s
A Paris court on Monday found eight men and two women guilty of cyber-harassment against France’s first lady, Brigitte Macron, for spreading false claims that she is a transgender woman born male, according to Reuters.
The defendants circulated long-running conspiracy theories alleging that Brigitte Macron was born under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux, which belongs to her older brother, and made malicious comments about her gender, sexuality and her 24-year age gap with President Emmanuel Macron, at times equating it to “paedophilia.”
The court handed down a range of sentences, including one six-month jail term without suspension, suspended sentences of up to eight months, fines, mandatory cyber-harassment awareness courses, and bans for five defendants from using the social media platforms where the comments were posted.
The ruling comes as the Macrons pursue a separate US defamation lawsuit against right-wing influencer Candace Owens over similar claims. Some defendants argued their remarks were satire, a defence rejected by the court, while one convicted defendant, Bertrand Scholler, said he would appeal, stating: “This is horrible. It’s abominable,” and adding, “This shows just how far French society is drifting toward less freedom of speech. Freedom of speech no longer exists.”