Once hailed by Donald Trump as “incredible” and considered a rising star in American conservative politics, Candace Owens now finds herself at the center of a political and legal storm, facing a high-profile libel lawsuit from French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte.
As reported by The Times UK, Owens — the outspoken commentator and podcaster with 4.5 million YouTube subscribers — is being sued by the French first couple over her repeated promotion of the conspiracy theory that Brigitte Macron was born a man. The lawsuit, filed in Delaware, accuses Owens of spreading “outlandish, defamatory and far-fetched fictions” that have seriously damaged the couple’s reputation. The Macrons are reportedly prepared to testify in court and are seeking both punitive and compensatory damages.
Owens, 36, has defiantly refused to back down. On her podcast, she vowed to “triple down” on the claim and dismissed the lawsuit as a PR stunt. She even alleged that former President Trump called her personally to relay a supposed request from Macron to “order me to just stop talking about his wife’s penis.”
This bizarre episode marks a stark evolution for Owens, whose political rise began with her creation of the “Blexit” movement — aimed at persuading Black Americans to leave the Democratic Party — and whose early support for Trump earned her a prominent place in the conservative spotlight. In 2019, she was even mentioned as a potential future presidential candidate.
Her personal life became deeply intertwined with the British conservative elite when she married George Farmer, son of the wealthy Tory peer Lord Farmer. Their whirlwind romance began in London after a speech Owens gave for Turning Point UK, where they were introduced by Nigel Farage. They married just weeks later at Trump Winery in Virginia, with Farage attending the ceremony.
As The Times UK notes, Owens’s career trajectory has since become a collision of controversy and conspiracies. Her past few years have included partnerships with controversial figures such as Kanye West — with whom she wore “White Lives Matter” T-shirts at a Paris fashion show — and incendiary remarks that sparked backlash across the political spectrum. She parted ways with The Daily Wire in 2023 after a public falling-out with co-founder Ben Shapiro, stemming from comments many labeled as antisemitic.
Adding further complexity, her father-in-law Lord Farmer — a deputy chair of the Council for Christians and Jews — publicly distanced himself from Owens’s views, reaffirming his support for Israel and lamenting comments made by “a high-profile member of my family.”
Owens’s break with Trump has also been sharp. While she once championed his policies and urged her followers to support him against Kamala Harris, she has since accused him of betraying promises, including pledges to avoid “never-ending wars” and to release files related to Jeffrey Epstein. “He’s been a chronic disappointment,” she told Piers Morgan. “And I feel embarrassed that I told people to go vote for him.”
The lawsuit from the Macrons is the latest and perhaps most serious episode in Owens’s tumultuous journey through modern political media. Libel cases are notoriously difficult to win in the United States, where freedom of speech protections are strong. But as The Times UK observes, Owens may see the legal battle less as a threat and more as a gift — providing her with months of podcast content and even more attention from a loyal, conspiracy-hungry audience.
