The accused face sentences of up to two years in prison for spreading "malicious comments about the sexuality" of the French first lady, including rumors about her alleged "transgender status" and comments equating her age difference with the president's (72 and 47 years) to "pedophilia."
Jean-Michel has his own life and did not undergo surgery to become Brigitte Macron
Brigitte Macron's lawyer, Jean Ennochi, has called Brigitte Macron's daughter, from her first marriage to banker André-Louis Auzičre (Sébastien and Laurence are her other two children), to testify. Despite the family trauma caused by the separation and her mother's romance with Emmanuel Macron, Tiphaine has actively participated in Macron's presidential campaigns and has even made a personal leap into politics, simultaneously practicing as a lawyer.
The ten individuals on trial, aged between 41 and 65, argued during the first session of the trial that their transphobic comments should be taken with "humor" and in "the spirit of Charlie" (referring to the popular satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo). "A person in power must accept criticism and sarcastic comments," stated one of the accused, 49-year-old Jerome A. Gallery owner Bertrand S. told the court that the trial is "an attack on press freedom by the deep state media."
Among the accused is "medium" Delphine Jégousse, 51, known by the pseudonym Amandine Roy, who was already convicted in 2024 for defamation along with Natacha Rey for claiming that Brigitte Macron never existed and that her brother Jean-Michel assumed her identity after transitioning. Her post was shared by over four million users on social media.
Professor and publicist Aurélien Poirson-Atlán, 41, known online as Zoé Sagan, is another key accused, a ruthless critic of Emmanuel Macron's policies, linked to conspiracy theories and with his account on X suspended due to several complaints.
The investigation of the case was entrusted to the Brigade for the Suppression of Crime against Persons (BRDP) following a complaint filed in August 2024 by Brigitte Macron. Officers made about ten arrests between December of that year and March 2025 after tracing the origin of the rumors.