Brigitte Macron gender conspiracy theory: What exactly is the Jean-Michel story that is viral on the internet?

Before she was France’s First Lady, Brigitte Macron was a literature teacher with a love for theatre, a handful of kids, and a dramatic plot twist no screenwriter could have made up.

From small-town chocolate royalty in Amiens to the halls of the Élysée Palace, her story has everything romance, backlash, conspiracies, and a 24-year age gap that still has the internet buzzing. Toss in some wild claims about gender identity, a viral slap video, and a defamation lawsuit in Delaware, and you’ve got the makings of one of Europe’s most headline-grabbing first ladies. Buckle up, this ride is très bizarre.Brigitte Marie‑Claude Trogneux was born on April 13, 1953 in Amiens, France, into a well‑known chocolatier family. Her parents ran the famed Chocolaterie Trogneux, a multi‑generation business renowned in the region. She grew up as the youngest sibling, attending Catholic schools and eventually earning a Master’s in literature and qualifications to teach French, Latin, and theatre. By the 1980s she was teaching in Strasbourg, then later at Lycée La Providence in Amiens, where she ran the drama club and taught literature.

She was already married at that time with three children: Sébastien, Laurence, and Tiphaine. Everything changed one day in 1993 when a 15‑year‑old Emmanuel Macron joined her drama workshop. Brigitte was 39 and still married. Despite the controversy it sparked, the two collaborated on theatrical productions like The Art of Comedy, discovering a spark that became a scandalous romance. The relationship drew outrage locally.

Brigitte faced hostility herself: neighbors ostracized her, she received anonymous letters, and people even spat on her door at the family chocolate shop.Brigitte divorced in 2006. A year later, in October 2007, they married in Le Touquet. Emmanuel was 29. Brigitte was 54. Her children were part of the ceremony, and Emmanuel’s parents accepted them despite public scrutiny. In 2017 Macron was elected president. He proposed creating an official “first lady” position for Brigitte. Though public resistance halted formal pay or budget, the Élysée did issue a transparency charter outlining her duties, including representing France internationally and supporting social causes The Macron relationship has long drawn curiosity because of their 24‑year age gap and its teacher‑student origins.

Critics labeled it grooming or scandalous. Comments online framed it as inappropriate or even illegal, calling Brigitte a groomer and Macron a victim despite French consent laws permitting the relationship after age 15.A recent viral video showed Brigitte pushing Emmanuel’s face as they exited a plane in Hanoi. The footage reignited speculation about tension in their marriage. But the Élysée dismissed it as playful banter.

Macron said they were horse‑playing, warning critics against inflating the incident into a crisis. Body language experts had other theories, but official commentary insisted it was affectionate and not a sign of a rift.Rumors of gender identity conspiracy theories became another battlefront. Social media posts claimed Brigitte was born male under the name Jean‑Michel Trogneux. Courts ruled some of these claims libelous, but in later appeals allowed discussion in "good faith" sources.

Her daughter Tiphaine publicly slammed the rumors as grotesque misinformation and defended her mother fiercely.

Gender identity controversy

It all kicked off in December 2021, when two individuals: Natacha Rey, self‑described “independent journalist,” and Amandine Roy, a spiritual medium released a four-hour YouTube interview claiming that Brigitte Macron never existed, and that her real identity was her brother, Jean‑Michel Trogneux, who supposedly transitioned and took on her persona.They painted photos of Brigitte’s brother, who naturally resembled her because they were related, as “evidence” — ignoring a birth certificate, public history, and the obvious fact: Brigitte gave birth to three children. Yet the video went viral among conspiracy groups online, amplified in several platforms.Brigitte Macron responded quickly, filing a libel suit in early 2022. In September 2024, a French court found Rey and Roy guilty of defamation, ordered them to pay €8,000 in damages to Brigitte and €5,000 to her brother, plus a suspended €500 fine.

President Macron addressed the rumors publicly in March 2024 at an official ceremony, calling the conspiracies “false and fabricated” and lamenting the wider misogyny fueling them.

His stepdaughter Tiphaine Auzière called the rumors a “testament to the level of society” on social media and the power of misinformation.But in a twist, on July 11, 2025, the Paris Appeal Court overturned the defamation convictions.

The judges ruled that the video fell under claims made “in good faith” and in the public domain — essentially giving Rey and Roy legal cover to continue repeating the theory, despite no factual foundation.That decision unleashed yet another wave of online hostility: publications resurfaced claims that Brigitte had sexually abused Emmanuel as a minor, further built upon the age‑gap controversy and wrapped in homophobic and sexist language. Most recently, in July 2025, the Macrons filed a defamation lawsuit in Delaware against Candace Owens, who produced a podcast series titled “Becoming Brigitte”, recycling these rumors and adding layers of wild conspiracies about CIA mind control and elite cabals. The couple accused her of calculated harassment and refused to retract her content despite multiple requests

Transvestigation?

Experts call this phenomenon "transvestigation", where conspiracists target public women by alleging they’re secretly transgender. It’s a mix of misogyny, identity politics weaponized, and classic internet gaslighting. GLAAD and others mark it as a form of modern harassment. Michelle Obama, Jacinda Ardern, and Lady Gaga have all faced similar theories "What's their problem with Macron's sex life? (“Un truc de conspi homophobe sexiste … prouver que toute femme qui a un semblant de pouvoir est un homme), one Reddit post went viral recently.

Another Reddit thread mocked the whole premise, calling it recycled nonsense from US conspiracists that should’ve died quietly if not fueled by attention-seeking trolls. From Amiens chocolate heiress to drama teacher to global first lady, Brigitte Macron’s journey is unconventional, enduring, and oddly scripted. Her relationship with Emmanuel Macron may have started amid scandal, but it’s stood the test of decades—through politics, scrutiny, and teen‑novel gossip.