France's First Lady, Brigitte Macron, has publicly addressed the controversy surrounding her use of a sexist slur, describing her comments as "clumsy" but made in a private moment. The remarks, directed at feminist protesters who disrupted a theatre performance, were captured on video and have ignited a significant backlash across the country.
A Private Conversation Goes Public
The incident occurred earlier this month backstage at the iconic Folies Bergère theatre in Paris. Brigitte Macron was speaking with French actor and humorist Ary Abittan, who was preparing for a show. The previous night, activists from the feminist group "Nous Toutes" ("All of Us") had interrupted Abittan's performance, shouting "Abittan, rapist!" in protest against what they call a culture of impunity for sexual violence.
When Abittan expressed that he was feeling scared, the First Lady attempted to reassure him. In the now-viral video, she is heard referring to the protesting women with a derogatory and sexist term, adding, "We’ll toss them out." She later stated to the online media outlet Brut that the language was "very direct" and that she hadn't realized someone behind her was filming the private exchange.
Backlash and Justification
The video triggered immediate criticism from campaigners against sexual and sexist violence, as well as from political opponents of President Emmanuel Macron. In a relatively rare public interview published on Monday evening, Brigitte Macron acknowledged the reaction.
"I completely understand that some people were shocked," she told Brut. She emphasized that her words "absolutely wasn’t meant to be public" and that she was not speaking in her capacity as the president's spouse at that moment. "I am not always the wife of the president of the Republic. I also have a private life and this was a private moment," she explained.
While apologizing to women victims who may have been hurt, stating "It’s them and just them that I am thinking of," she also stood by her right to speak privately. "I certainly wouldn’t have used those terms in public," she conceded, but added, "I cannot regret speaking. I don’t want to regret."
Defending the Artist and the Aftermath
Brigitte Macron also used the interview to criticize the act of protesting inside the theatre. "I cannot bear that a performance is interrupted," she said, arguing that such actions amount to a form of censorship against artists. "We aren’t judges," she stated, questioning how an artist is supposed to carry on after such a disruption.
The controversy is set against the backdrop of the allegations against Ary Abittan. French magistrates terminated an investigation into a 2021 rape allegation against him in 2024 due to a lack of evidence, a decision that was confirmed on appeal this past January. The feminist protesters were targeting what they perceive as systemic failures in addressing sexual violence cases.
Ultimately, Brigitte Macron framed her remarks as an instinctive attempt to comfort someone in distress. "I reassured him certainly in a way that was clumsy. But I had no other words at my disposal at that moment," she told Brut, concluding with a firm belief in her "right to speak and the right to think." The episode continues to fuel debate on privacy, public speech, and the ongoing fight against sexism in France.
