Candace Owens spent her weekend telling millions of followers that the President of France wants her dead.
Not metaphorically. Not politically. Actually, literally dead—murdered by an elite French tactical unit working with Israeli operatives, funded through a shadowy French club, all because she dared to investigate whether France's First Lady was born male.
It sounds like the plot of a bad spy thriller. It's not. It's what one of America's most-followed conservative commentators is currently telling her 6.9 million X followers and 4.5 million YouTube subscribers. And a disturbing number of people believe her.
The Claims: A Timeline of Escalation
On November 22, 2025, Owens posted an "URGENT" message claiming a "high-ranking employee of the French Government" had contacted her with explosive information: Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte had "executed upon and paid for my assassination."
According to Owens, the green light was given to France's National Gendarmerie Intervention Group (GIGN)—an elite counterterrorism unit—with "one Israeli" operative embedded in the assassination squad. The plans, she claimed, were "formalized."
She didn't stop there.
The next day, Owens alleged that payments for the assassination were "running through the Club des Cent in France"—referring to either an exclusive gastronomic society founded in 1912 or a cycling club, she never clarified which. She claimed there was a "paper trail" and encouraged "patriots of France" to uncover it. She described the operation as involving both a "French female assassin" and a "male, Israeli assassin" in what she called "joint state operations."
Then came the Charlie Kirk connection. Owens claimed that Kirk's assassin "trained with the French legion 13th brigade with multi-state involvement"—linking her alleged assassination plot to the September 2025 murder of her close friend and conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University.
Most remarkably, Owens claimed she had informed "people in the Federal government and the White House" about the plot and was "willing to provide full details, as well as the name of the assassins and international accounts in France and Canada through which money was exchanged."
She provided no evidence. No documents. No recordings. No names. Just her word that an anonymous French official—whose identity she verified but won't reveal—told her all this.
The Backstory: A Defamation Lawsuit and a Conspiracy Theory
This didn't come out of nowhere.
Owens has been waging a months-long campaign centered on a baseless conspiracy theory: that Brigitte Macron, France's 72-year-old First Lady, was actually born male under the name Jean-Michel Trogneux (the actual name of her older brother).
In March 2024, Owens told her audience she "would stake [her] entire professional reputation" on this claim. She launched an eight-part podcast series called "Becoming Brigitte" that has garnered over 2.3 million views on YouTube.
The Macrons responded in July 2025 by filing a 22-count, 218-page defamation lawsuit against Owens in Delaware Superior Court. The lawsuit accuses her of waging a "campaign of global humiliation" filled with "verifiably false and devastating lies," including claims that Brigitte Macron stole another person's identity, that the Macrons are blood relatives committing incest, and that Emmanuel Macron was chosen as president through a CIA mind-control program.
The lawsuit presents "extensive evidence" that Brigitte Macron "was born a woman, she's always been a woman," including her birth announcement, childhood photos, and documentation of her first marriage to André-Louis Auzière in 1974, with whom she had three children.
Rather than backing down, Owens escalated—claiming the lawsuit itself proved she was onto something. The assassination allegations followed shortly after.
The Problem: Zero Corroboration
Here's what makes this story remarkable: not a single official entity has confirmed any part of Owens' claims.
The French government has issued no statement. The Israeli government has issued no statement. The U.S. government has issued no statement. No French official has come forward. No investigation has been announced. No evidence has been presented.
The Jerusalem Post reported that "no evidence or official confirmation has been provided" for any of Owens' allegations. RadarOnline noted she "did not identify the alleged official or offer an explanation for how they would have access to such information."
Even the Club des Cent claim is bizarre. As multiple outlets noted, France has two groups with similar names—a famous dining club of gourmands and a cycling club for mountain pass enthusiasts. Owens never clarified which one she meant, but implied a "secretive network of elites" was funneling assassination payments through... a restaurant club?
The GIGN—the elite unit she claims was tasked with killing her—specializes in counter-terrorism, hostage rescue, and high-risk operations. The idea that France would deploy its most elite tactical unit to assassinate an American podcaster over a gender conspiracy theory strains credulity.
The Response: Mockery, Concern, and Credulity
The reaction online split into three camps.
The Believers: Some of Owens' followers took her claims at face value. Comedian Dave Smith tweeted, "This is fucking wild. I'm hoping this isn't true but if it is, they should know that taking out Candace Owens will turn all of us into Candace Owens."
Remarkably, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov weighed in, saying he found Owens' claims about French involvement in Charlie Kirk's death "entirely plausible," noting that "French intelligence services are not unknown for assassinations."
The Concerned: Others worried about Owens' mental state. Alex Berenson wrote, "Please be aware you are watching a psychiatric breakdown in real time. The people close to @RealCandaceO, if they care about her... need to get her help."
Brandon Darby added, "Objectively, this sounds completely insane and akin to the ramblings of someone in desperate need of psychiatric care for acute psychosis. I mean that as politely as possible."
The Skeptics: Many simply mocked the claims. Ben Dreyfuss quipped, "This is so funny but by far the funniest part is that she's basically like 'among the French assassins is at least one jew.'"
One user joked, "Some French mailman pranking Candace like" alongside a meme image.
The Pattern: A History of Conspiracy Theories
This isn't Owens' first rodeo with baseless claims.
The Macrons' lawsuit notes that Owens "has built a brand on provocation, not truth." It details how she has "promoted a range of conspiracy theories, including anti-vaccine falsehoods, long-debunked antisemitic tropes such as blood libel, and Holocaust distortion—going so far as to dismiss the atrocities of Josef Mengele's medical experiments as mere 'propaganda.'"
In 2024, she was denied visas from both Australia and New Zealand after making remarks denying Nazi medical experimentation on Jews during World War II. The Australian government cited concerns she could "incite discord."
She resigned from Turning Point USA in 2019 after controversy over comments about Adolf Hitler, in which she said, "If Hitler just wanted to make Germany great and have things run well, OK, fine."
Yet her audience has only grown. As of July 2025, she has over 4.47 million YouTube subscribers and 6.9 million X followers. Her videos garner millions of views.
Why People Believe: The Psychology of Conspiracy
So why do so many people accept these claims as credible?
Confirmation bias: For those already skeptical of mainstream institutions, Owens' claims confirm existing suspicions about government corruption and media cover-ups.
Parasocial relationships: Owens has cultivated a loyal following that trusts her personally. When she says she's verified her source, many believe her without requiring evidence.
The "no smoke without fire" fallacy: The sheer volume and specificity of Owens' claims—GIGN units, Israeli operatives, Club des Cent, Canadian bank accounts—creates an illusion of credibility. Surely she wouldn't make all this up?
Distrust of "official" denials: The lack of official response is interpreted not as evidence the claims are too absurd to dignify, but as proof of a cover-up.
The martyr narrative: Owens frames herself as a truth-teller being silenced by powerful forces. The lawsuit and alleged assassination plot reinforce this narrative.
Antisemitic undertones: The repeated emphasis on "one Israeli" operative plays into longstanding conspiracy theories about Jewish/Israeli control, making the claims resonate with certain audiences.
The Danger: When Delusion Becomes Mainstream
Here's what makes this genuinely concerning: Owens isn't some fringe figure shouting into the void. She has millions of followers. Her podcast reaches a massive audience. Tucker Carlson's interview with her about the Macrons garnered 7.3 million views in two days.
When someone with that kind of platform makes evidence-free claims about international assassination plots, it has consequences:
It poisons public discourse. Millions of people now believe—or at least suspect—that France and Israel are conspiring to murder American journalists. This isn't harmless entertainment.
It undermines legitimate journalism. Owens calls herself an "investigative journalist," but her "investigation" consists of amplifying conspiracy theorists and anonymous sources while ignoring all contradictory evidence.
It weaponizes victimhood. By claiming persecution, Owens insulates herself from criticism. Any pushback becomes "proof" she's over the target.
It normalizes the absurd. When wild claims are treated as plausible by millions, the line between fact and fiction dissolves.
The Reality Check
Let's be clear about what we know:
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Brigitte Macron was born female on April 13, 1953, in Amiens, France. Birth announcements, childhood photos, and extensive documentation confirm this.
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She married André-Louis Auzière in 1974 and had three children with him before divorcing and marrying Emmanuel Macron in 2007.
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The conspiracy theory about her gender originated with Natacha Rey, a French "investigative journalist," and Amandine Roy, a self-proclaimed "spiritual medium", in a 2021 YouTube video.
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Brigitte Macron won a defamation case in French court against Rey and Roy in September 2024 (though an appeals court overturned it this month on procedural grounds).
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No evidence supports any of Owens' assassination claims. None. Zero. Not a shred.
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Tyler Robinson, 22, has been charged with capital murder for Charlie Kirk's killing. American authorities have made no connection to France or any international conspiracy.
The Bottom Line
Candace Owens has spent months promoting a demonstrably false conspiracy theory about France's First Lady. When sued for defamation, she responded by claiming the President of France has hired assassins to kill her. She's provided no evidence. No officials have confirmed her claims. No investigation exists.
Yet millions believe her—or at least consider it possible.
This is how conspiracy theories work in 2025. A charismatic figure with a massive platform makes wild claims. She wraps them in the language of "investigation" and "truth-telling." She positions herself as a martyr standing against powerful forces. She provides just enough specific details to create an illusion of credibility. And she never, ever provides actual evidence.
The result? A significant portion of the public now believes that France and Israel are conspiring to murder an American podcaster because she discovered that the French First Lady is secretly transgender.
It would be funny if it weren't so dangerous.
The real tragedy isn't just that Owens is making these claims. It's that in an age of eroded trust in institutions, fractured media ecosystems, and algorithmic amplification of outrage, millions of people find them plausible.
We've lost the ability to distinguish between legitimate skepticism and paranoid delusion. Between asking hard questions and inventing elaborate fantasies. Between journalism and performance art.
Candace Owens isn't a truth-teller being silenced by the powerful. She's a provocateur who discovered that conspiracy theories are profitable. And as long as millions keep watching, she'll keep spinning new ones.
The question isn't whether the Macrons hired assassins to kill Candace Owens.
The question is: how did we get to a place where millions of people think that's even remotely possible?
