Delaware judge drops Candace Owens personally from Macrons' defamation suit

A Delaware judge ruled the court lacks jurisdiction over Candace Owens as an individual in the defamation suit filed by French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, while letting claims against her companies proceed.

A Delaware Superior Court judge has dismissed right-wing podcaster Candace Owens as an individual defendant in the defamation lawsuit filed by French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, AFP reported.

"The Court finds that it lacks personal jurisdiction over Ms Owens individually," Judge Sheldon Rennie wrote, noting that she lives in Tennessee. The case against her companies, Candace Owens LLC and GeorgeTom Inc., will continue for now. The judge also said France's statute of limitations, normally three months for defamation, would apply.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Brigitte Macron with Ursula von der Leyen in Nice (June 2025)

The Macrons sued in July 2025 over Owens' false claims that Brigitte Macron is a transgender woman. Owens welcomed the ruling, calling the case "one of the grossest legal overreaches by a foreign government leader in human history."

The ruling does not address whether the claims are true. In France, two women were convicted in September 2024 of spreading false claims that Brigitte Macron was once a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux, who is actually her brother.