Brigitte Macron is the wife of Emmanuel Macron, who is the President of France. She is known as the First Lady and often supports causes like women’s rights. On December 7, 2025, she went to a theater in Paris with her daughter to watch a comedy show by Ary Abittan, a French actor and comedian. Abittan had faced a serious accusation in 2021 when a woman he was dating said he raped her. After a long investigation lasting three years, judges decided in January 2025 not to charge him, meaning the case was dropped. This event happened backstage, away from the main audience, but someone recorded it on video.
The night before, on December 6, 2025, four women from a feminist group called Nous Toutes interrupted Abittan’s show. Nous Toutes means “all of us” in French and is a group that fights against sexual violence toward women. These activists wore masks with Abittan’s face printed on them, and the word “rapist” written on the foreheads of the masks. They shouted “Abittan rapist!” to protest his return to performing on stage. They believed his shows ignored the pain of the woman who accused him and made her story seem less important. This kind of protest is called a disruption, where people stop an event to draw attention to a problem.
In the video from December 7, Abittan told Brigitte Macron that he felt scared about possible more protests. She replied with a laugh, saying in French “If there are any stupid bitches, we’ll kick them out, especially the masked bandits.” The French words she used, “sales connes,” are rude and mean something like “dirty stupid women” or “stupid bitches” in English. She was joking about removing the protesters if they showed up again. The video was shared by a French magazine called Public on December 8, 2025, and quickly spread online, leading to strong reactions.
Many feminists and public figures reacted with anger to Brigitte Macron’s words. An actress named Judith Godrèche, who spoke out about being abused as a child in the film industry, posted on Instagram: “I too am a stupid bitch.” This was her way of standing with the protesters and criticizing the insult. Clémence Guetté, a leader in France’s parliament, wrote on social media that calling activists “stupid bitches” went against the government’s promises to fight violence against women. Another politician, Manon Aubry, said it showed how the Macron family had failed on women’s rights. An activist from Nous Toutes, using the fake name Gwen to stay safe, called the words a deep insult to victims of sexual violence.
A person from Brigitte Macron’s team explained that her comment was not about all feminists but about the way the protesters used masks and interruptions, which they saw as too extreme. They said she supports women’s rights but not these methods. The event highlights ongoing debates in France about how to handle accusations of sexual violence, especially when famous people are involved.
In summary, Brigitte Macron’s recorded insult to feminist protesters at a comedian’s show has caused widespread outrage over disrespect to women’s rights efforts.
