French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron have once again found themselves at the center of public speculation following renewed claims about a viral moment filmed during an overseas trip last year.
The incident, which showed Brigitte Macron appearing to push or slap her husband as they prepared to disembark a plane in Hanoi, sparked widespread debate online at the time. The Élysée Palace initially dismissed the moment as lighthearted joking between the couple.
However, a new book by journalist Florian Tardif, titled “An (Almost) Perfect Couple,” has revived discussion around the episode, suggesting it may have been linked to tensions within the presidential couple.
According to claims cited in media interviews, the author alleges that Brigitte Macron reacted after seeing messages on her husband’s phone allegedly involving Iranian-born actress Golshifteh Farahani. The book suggests that these interactions were interpreted as inappropriate, although no verified evidence of a romantic relationship has been confirmed.
The actress has denied any romantic involvement, stating that her connection with Macron was purely platonic. Sources close to the French First Lady have also rejected claims that she monitors her husband’s private communications.
In earlier statements, Emmanuel Macron himself downplayed the incident, describing it as a moment of playful “squabbling” between him and his wife, and dismissing the online speculation as exaggerated and misleading.
The controversy has since fueled ongoing media debate about the couple’s private life, although no official confirmation supports the claims made in the book.
