Paris loves political scandals. Even more, the capital loves stories in which power, jealousy and glamour flow together like champagne at a reception in the Élysée Palace. That’s precisely why a new book about Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron is currently causing such a stir.
At the center is a scene that already made the rounds worldwide in 2025.
Back then, the door of the presidential plane opened in Hanoi, cameras were rolling – and suddenly it looked as if Brigitte Macron made a brusque movement toward her husband’s face. Just seconds. Blurry. But enough for the internet to collectively gasp.
The Élysée downplayed the incident. A harmless gesture, they said at the time, roughly speaking. Maybe a misunderstanding. Maybe simply an unfortunate camera angle. Yet moments like that act in the age of social networks like a spark on dry grass.
Now journalist Florian Tardif is pouring fresh oil on the fire with his book Un couple (presque) parfait.
According to his account, Brigitte Macron allegedly discovered messages from the Franco-Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani on the president’s phone. The relationship is described as “platonic,” but at the same time there are messages that apparently seemed much more personal than a presidential adviser would like.
Lines such as “I find you very pretty” are said to have been exchanged.
Does that actually ring true? That’s exactly where the problem begins.
To this day there is no public proof for this account. No published messages or confirmed documents have surfaced. Brigitte Macron’s circle explicitly denies the claims. Confidants of the Première dame even say she never looks at her husband’s phone.
Golshifteh Farahani herself had already rejected earlier rumors about an alleged closeness to Emmanuel Macron. Such speculations, she once said, reveal above all a “lack of love” on the part of those who spread them.
And yet France is debating again.
Why, exactly?
Because the story fits perfectly into the image many have long drawn of the Macrons: an unusual couple, permanently observed, analyzed and interpreted. Every glance, every movement, every small irritation immediately turns into national theater.
Then there’s the almost cinematic figure of Farahani.
The actress has for years been regarded as a dazzling personality – internationally successful, politically engaged, forced into exile from Iran, at once mysterious and nonconformist. In short: exactly the kind of figure from which modern media myths are born.
But the truly interesting part lies elsewhere.
The case shows how completely the line between private life and political staging has disappeared. In the past a brief moment on a plane stair might have interested a few paparazzi. Today three seconds of video are enough for millions around the world to project their own stories into it.
A bit of politics.
A bit of gossip.
A bit of Netflix-style drama.
And bam – the global series mode is on.
Whether the incident will ever be clarified remains doubtful. The journalist cites his own research. The Élysée denies it. Those involved contradict the account. So far only one thing is certain: the fascination with the Macron couple remains unbroken.
After all, France does not only love presidents.
France loves presidential stories.
By C. Hatty