French President Emmanuel Macron allegedly sent a message reading "I find you very pretty" to Iranian-French actress Golshifteh Farahani as part of a platonic relationship, according to journalist Florian Tardif’s 2025 book "An (Almost) Perfect Couple" published in May 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4].
Tardif claims the exchanges triggered tension between Macron and his wife Brigitte during an official visit to Vietnam in 2025. A viral video from May 2025 at Hanoi airport shows Brigitte Macron pushing or slapping Emmanuel Macron as they disembarked the plane [1, 2, 3, 4].
French presidential officials deny any romantic connection between Macron and Farahani. They also dispute that the slap incident was linked to texts or that Brigitte Macron checks her husband’s phone [1, 2, 3, 4]. Macron described the slap as playful banter and dismissed rumors as exaggerated [1, 2, 3].
Farahani has previously denied romantic involvement with Macron, calling the rumors cyclical and unbothering. She told reporters, "I think that there is a lack of love for some people and they need to create romances like this to fill [the void]" [1, 2, 4].
Conservative commentator Candace Owens criticized the claims and questioned their plausibility, citing an ongoing defamation lawsuit filed by the Macrons against her. Owens said, "So like everybody kind of knows Emmanuel Macron’s gay. So this is just implausible, like right on its face, that Brigitte Macron and Emmanuel Macron are arguing because he’s texting some hot actress, but that’s what they’re going with" [4].
Journalist Florian Tardif discussed the book’s claims and the slap incident during an interview on RTL France on May 12, 2026 [4]. Detailed media reports linking the slap to Macron’s messages with Farahani appeared between May 21 and 23, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4].
A legal hearing is scheduled for June 2026 regarding the defamation lawsuit filed by Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron against Owens [4].
