What Will Happen to Candace Owens if She's Found Guilty of Cyberbullying?

Recent weeks have seen intense legal developments involving conservative commentator Candace Owens and claims circulating online about France's First Lady, Brigitte Macron. While social media and some online posts have suggested Owens has been found guilty of cyberbullying, that is not accurate based on the latest court rulings and legal filings. What has happened is a major court decision in France against ten individuals, and an active defamation lawsuit in the United States where Owens remains a defendant.

Paris Court Convicts Others in Online Harassment Case

On Monday, 5 January 2026, a Paris criminal court found ten people guilty of online harassment and cyberbullying against Brigitte Macron, the 72-year-old First Lady of France. The defendants were accused of spreading false and degrading claims on social media that she was born male and of making other malicious comments about her gender and age difference with her husband, President Emmanuel Macron.

The court imposed a range of punishments. These included prison terms (some suspended), fines, mandatory cyberbullying awareness courses, and bans from the platforms where the harmful comments were posted. One person received a six-month jail term without suspension, while others received suspended sentences of up to eight months.

The ruling was widely reported by media organisations including Reuters and the Associated Press, and it was framed as an effort by French authorities to combat persistent misinformation and online cruelty directed at public figures.

Candace Owens Has Not Been Convicted

Candace Owens has not been charged or found guilty in the French cyberbullying case. The convictions relate only to the ten individuals tried in Paris. There is no final criminal verdict against Owens in that matter.

Instead, Owens is facing a separate legal matter in the United States. In July 2025 French President Emmanuel Macron and Brigitte Macron filed a civil defamation lawsuit against Owens in the Delaware Superior Court. That lawsuit accuses Owens of running a long-running campaign of defamation and spreading falsehoods about Brigitte Macron on her podcast, videos, and other platforms.

The complaint, which runs to more than 200 pages, lists over 20 counts of defamation and other allegations, including that Owens repeatedly advanced demonstrably false claims about the First Lady's gender and personal history. The Macrons allege this campaign has caused 'global humiliation' and significant harm to their family's reputation.

In response to the lawsuit, Owens has publicly refused to retract her statements and has described the legal action as a publicity tactic or an attack on free speech. Her legal team has also filed motions to dismiss parts of the lawsuit, including challenges to the court's jurisdiction. As of December 2025, no final ruling had been made on those motions.

What Could Happen Next in the Lawsuit

Because the defamation suit is a civil case rather than a criminal prosecution, it does not carry criminal sentences such as jail time. Instead, if the court finds in favour of the Macrons after a full hearing or at trial, the likely outcomes could include:

• Monetary damages awarded to the plaintiffs for harm caused.
• Injunctions or orders limiting Owens' ability to repeat specific claims.
• Legal costs being paid by the losing side.

Any such outcomes would depend on how the Delaware court interprets United States defamation law, which places specific burdens on plaintiffs who are public figures.

As of this writing, Owens continues to deny any wrongdoing in the civil case.

Broader Debate Over Online Speech and Accountability

These legal proceedings feed into a wider global debate about online speech, misinformation, harassment, and the responsibilities of influencers and public figures. The French case reflects one national approach to combating harmful online abuse, while the US civil case underscores how defamation law functions in a jurisdiction with strong protections for free speech.

For now, the accurate position is that Candace Owens has not been found guilty of cyberbullying, and her legal matters in the United States are ongoing.